Urbs Sanguinis: City of Blood
by Ascanius
Summary: Darkness approaches New York City, where Buffy, Willow, and Giles journey to stop it. There they will cross paths with a police detective bearing a fabled gauntlet... Part I.
1. Chapter I

The television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all related characters and materials belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and UPN. Witchblade and all characters related are properties of Top Cow Comics and TNT Productions.

**Author's Note:** I wrote this because I thought it would be a great idea to get these two characters together in a situation, given their personalities. With that, let us begin...

* * *

_Duality. It was a concept she had learned in an art class long ago. That was what came to mind; a look that was of both old and new, of the past and of the present, like hands stretching forth to both and taking something of each into possession. The apartment was beautiful, like a three-dimensional tapestry. One could daresay it was elegant, saturating her with feelings of sophistication, class, and a little bit of playfulness. The only thing that marred the experience was a blonde woman screaming at the top of her lungs._

_The bounding and gagging that followed only made her thrash more violently, desperate to break free of whatever held her. But it was all for naught, because soon her throat gushed with life-giving blood, like a gruesome waterfall, and her body was brought to stillness. Once subdued, the only movement the body made was the jostle after the long, menacing knife plunged its way into the woman's chest..._

Sara Pezzini awoke with a start. The deceptively simple trinket she wore, in truth the fabled Witchblade, had in the past given her first-hand insight into many a brutal crime. Crimes that seemed to defy all logic and expectations. But rarely before had Sara witnessed something so awful. A grisly murder in all of its glory, if one could call it that. Being a cop had steeled her to many things, but this was beyond heinous. It was vile.

Sweat dripping from her brow she pondered the meaning of the vision. The Witchblade showed her things for a reason, for some important purpose. A "regular" murder, albeit brutal, would not have registered if it did not hold some significance. But it was 6:00 a.m. and Sara was not in the mood, nor the proper mindset, to effectively handle such an issue from the relative peaceful sanctuary that was her apartment. Relatively peaceful, that is, until the phone rang.

"Hello?" Sara answered languidly.

"Pez, it's Jake." Jake McCartey was one of the newest detectives in the NYPD. In just under three years, he had helped her solve a number of cases and provided a 'unique' perspective on things. Together with Danny Woo, Sara and Jake were a formidable, yet unlikely, force: two guys, a girl, and a police precinct.

She liked Jake, enough to trust him as a partner. But even she had to admit that something about him made him a slight mystery to her.

"What is it, Jake?"

"Murder in an apartment building near the NYU campus. Dante wants us over there pronto," Jake said.

"Got it." With that Sara hung up the phone and started to get ready. A quick shower, a bagel, and her gun and badge complemented her on her way out of the door that morning. A solid punch to her heavy bag was thrown in for good measure.

Sara arrived on her cherished motorcycle at the crime scene ready, though unwilling, to start her day. She saw Jake standing by waiting to brief her on what was known so far. She still resented his taste for the early mornings. _Must be a surfer thing_, she thought. She approached him in her usual style.

"What we got, McCartey?"

"One Janet Devereaux, age 39. Lived alone with her two cats. Ran an antique shop on Duane St. Neighbors overheard a scuffle and a scream at about 4:45. A couple of black-and-whites responded and saw this." Sara saw in vivid reality what had become of the subject of her vision. The ribcage had been opened, spread out. A rookie in the force had tossed up the contents of his late-night snack when she had arrived; now she knew why. It wasn't exactly the site one wished to wake up to.

"Anybody catch anyone leave the apartment?" asked Sara.

"Nope. Neighbors were too scared to look and nobody else questioned so far ever saw anyone suspicious enter or leave the building." Jake was watching the CSI units bag and tag the evidence, hoping Forensics could provide any leads to their fledgling investigation. He was convinced that anything, _anything_ would do considering the apparent lack of witnesses.

**_  
8:45 am, Monday – Medical Examiner's Office_**

After giving their initial report to Captain Bruno Dante and getting for what passed as a breakfast in New York City, Sara and Jake made it over to Mitchell Dretch's office. Dretch's ten years as medical examiner had given Sara and Jake the utmost confidence that if anyone could give them something to work with, it would be him. Originally from Seattle, he had succeeded Vicky Po when she decided to transfer down to Miami. Though it took Sara some time to warm up to Mitchell, she came to respect his expertise. He had a steel-trap mind with a hawk's determination. And if you asked anyone, he was also slightly weird. Especially in his desire for all things Tang. As to why, no one could answer.

"Morning, detectives," Dretch said almost cheerfully.

_God, is everyone a morning person except me?_ Sara thought. "Morning, Mitch. Tell us you got something."

"Oh I got something alright. Your vic was killed by a sharp object severing the carotid artery. The wound to the chest was made post-mortem," Mitch iterated as he uncovered the corpse.

"We got that part," Jake said. "What else did you find?"

"You see those teeth marks on the body near the ribcage?" Sara and Jake nodded after getting a closer look. "Those marks were made with a rib spreader. The metal teeth on it marked up the body before it was situated."

"Why?" asked Sara. "Was something removed?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Mitch confirmed. "The victim had her heart removed. The rib spreader was obvious. I knew by looking at the way the chest was opened up that it had to be involved. But the way it was done really stood out. After seeing those marks, I can tell you this person probably has rudimentary medical skills, if that."

Jake was remembering something. "Wait a minute. Didn't a victim three weeks ago have her heart removed?"

Sara also remembered. While it didn't pass their desk, she did hear it was currently held up because of no leads. "Yeah, but the ME never mentioned any rib spreader being used. They determined it was just a sharp knife or something similar."

"Could be a copycat," said Mitch.

Sara wasn't convinced. Her instincts had served her well over the years and she wasn't about to give up on them now. "Or it could be that someone's deliberately trying to throw us off. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Mitch?"

"Only if you're thinking what I'm thinking, Jake," Mitch answered.

Much to his chagrin, Jake answered the only way he could. "Yeah, I am."

Sara finally voiced what they all thought but had been all too apprehensive to say. "Gentlemen, I think we have a serial killer out there."

It was then that Sara felt something wash over her. She felt it first about two weeks ago and had been feeling it since, all around New York. But this was different. Before it was just faint, only somewhat noticeable. But now, it was something stronger and more focused. Something primal. Something powerful. Something deadly.

She had a feeling things were going to get interesting.

**_  
Meanwhile..._**

"We'll be landing at LaGuardia Airport in a few minutes. Please place all trays in their upright positions and your carry-ons in the overhead compartments or beneath the seat in front of you." The flight attendant's voice was pleasant and soothing. But Willow Rosenberg had a feeling that whatever brought her, Buffy Summers, and Rupert Giles to the Big Apple was definitely not of the pleasant and would most assuredly not be anywhere close to soothing.

Then there was the fact that she felt something dark touch her in her deepest recesses. But she couldn't figure it out. It was almost as if something was blocking her, preventing her from truly reaching out with her power...

She decided to push it to the back of her mind... for now.

"I sure hope whatever was in my dream's something we can stop. Barely two weeks out from a major battle and already Big Bads are brewing," Buffy said quietly.

"I must say I find it quite odd that your Slayer dreams would bring us all the way to New York. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing the city, of course. It's just that, well, usually Slayer dreams tend to stay localized." Rupert Giles was always one to question the 'whys' of something and proceed cautiously. This time was no different.

"You have to wonder what's so bad to bring us all the way across the U.S.", said Willow.

The Slayer suddenly felt something faintly wash over her. Something dark. Something ominous. Something deadly.

Buffy wondered the same thing. "I think we're going to find out."


	2. Chapter II

Buffy Summers was The Slayer. Correction, she was _a_ Slayer. Willow's little mojo two weeks ago had changed the rules of the game. However, for all intents and purposes, Buffy was in fact the HSIC: the Head Slayer in Charge. Normally, she would have sent one of the trained girls to investigate something like this. However, she had the feeling this case required her... unique touch.

She literally felt like a mess of rumpled hair and clothes. That's what happened when you had to catch a red-eye from L.A. to New York. She and her Slayers had stayed with Angel's crew at his hotel to recover and tend to the wounded. She had been shocked to find out that Cordelia Chase, formerly "Queen C" of Sunnydale High, had been put into a coma. She was furthermore shocked to find out that Angel was now CEO of the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart, a.k.a., evil's cabana boys/Attorneys-at-Law. Needless to say, she was eager to get herself and her group out of L.A. as soon as possible. While she was glad Wolfram & Hart didn't take advantage of her crew's unfortunate state, she wasn't going to stick around in case they changed their minds. That was the reason she hadn't let Angel in on the Slayer-awakening spell. For all she knew, they could have been waiting for the Scoobies to recover to lull them into a false sense of security. It wasn't that she didn't love or trust Angel; quite the contrary, deep down inside she really did. But she was caring for an army of young girls. If Angel was being duped or, daresay, corrupted, she wanted her embattled gang as far away from L.A. as possible until they were able to properly handle any situation that could come about.

Putting that concern out of her mind for the moment, she, Giles, and Willow went to get a taxi getting their stuff from baggage claim. Trying to get a handle on the situation, she wanted to know their first strategy.

"So, Giles. Where're we headed?" she asked.

"The Council's financial resources were left in place, thankfully, after the blast. They have an apartment building near the downtown area. We'll be able to set up base camp there."

Giles was extremely glad that they had the resources they did. It seemed that the Council had planned for such an occasion. The system that they used to keep track of their funds and holdings also made sure that if the board members didn't access the systems within a specified amount of time, all control was to go immediately down the chain of command until the proper person accessed it. All Watchers had been fitted with an emergency pager, which would receive a special code in case anything happened to headquarters. If access to monetary funds were granted to a Watcher in an emergency, another special code would be sent to that specific Watcher. No one knew of the signal relay or the computer server station except the Head Watcher, for obvious reasons. It was all Quentin Travers' idea. While Giles had resented Travers for his hard-headed and heavy-handed ways, even he had to admit the man was an effective and resourceful tactician.

_Good show, Travers, good show_, he thought.

At around 10:30 a.m., they arrived at the location. Ready for a hot shower and a decent meal, each of them got ready to start the day. Giles had brought some of the extra tomes he stored away for safekeeping and Willow set up her laptop, since the building had been fitted for wireless access. She had been to New York when she was younger, but even then she didn't get to see many of the sights. But when your parents were hers, making time with their daughter seemed to be low on the list of things to do. And being in town for a dark omen wasn't what you would call 'vacation time'. How she wished Xander or Kennedy were here with her. Kennedy had decided to go to South America to set up until Willow arrived. She would come to New York if things weren't settled quickly or if they needed an extra brutal hand for things.

Then there was Xander. Sweet Xander.

Losing an eye had been bad enough for him. But losing Anya had been the straw that broke the camel's back. He wanted to leave as soon as possible and get started on finding those new Slayers. Normally, he would have joined them on their quest to New York. But he felt that he needed some time away from not only California, but the entire U.S.A. to sort out his thoughts and delve himself into work. Of all the places he picked for his sojourn, Africa was his choice. She hoped that her best friend in the entire world would find the strength to recover and make his own path.

"We're all set up. We just need to find out anything that could clue us in to what Buffy's vision meant."

Giles had a pen and paper handy, ready for the rigorous task of note-taking and research. "Now go through what you saw in your dreams. Try and pick out any details, clues, as to what you saw."

Exasperatedly, Buffy began to tell the tale.

"Well, there was a cemetery. Hands coming out of the ground, like the dead were coming back to life. But that wasn't the strangest thing. Suddenly the sky turned red and it was like a camera's lens was zooming out. The red was an eye, looking at me like it wanted to kill me in the worst way. Zooming farther back I saw that the eye was part of the Statue of Liberty. Then the face morphed into a woman with jet-black hair who was screaming. And finally, there was a huge, black hand that punched through the statue's chest and ripped out its heart. And it was still beating. Then I woke up."

Giles was more than a bit concerned. While Slayer dreams could be vague and confusing, rarely were they ever as grisly as what he had heard.

"That's quite disturbing, to say the least," he replied, after only a few moments of silence. "The woman in your dream may be an actual person. We have to find out."

"Maybe Willow could check the police records, or the morgue database. You know, a nice little unauthorized entry?"

"Would that I could, Buffy. But this is New York, not Sunnydale. More money, more resources, more security. Even if I tried, someone would be alerted to it and respond in no time." Willow knew what she was talking about. Before going uber-witch she made a pretty decent turn as hacker. Of course, hacking in a town as oblivious as Sunnydale and hacking in one of the biggest and most important cities in the world were two different things.

"Well, it seems we're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way: newspapers, obituaries section, headlines..." Giles said.

"Already on it," Willow replied as she typed furiously on her keyboard. "I'll check all homicides in the New York area in the past month, see what comes up. Maybe something made the front... wow, that was quick."

"What is it, Will?" Buffy asked.

"Well there seems to have been a particularly grisly murder about three weeks ago. Police identified a Marie Valakesh, 32, as the victim. She owned a health food store on the Upper West Side. They say that her heart had been cut out."

"That might be our dream lady. We won't know until we ask around," Buffy replied.

"Agreed," said Giles. "Willow, perhaps you can continue searching on the clues to Buffy's dream while Buffy and I ask around."

"No problem. I'll call if I find anything."

"Likewise," said Giles.

He had hoped that, maybe, just maybe, this case might be an easy one. Fate could be generous in this instance and set it on a silver platter for them. Then they could be on their way to Europe and away for awhile.

Of course, Buffy knew that fate being generous to them was like a vampire going on a diet of pig's blood. Once, maybe twice, but after that she knew that any other chance would be a long shot.


	3. Chapter III

**_2:14 p.m., Monday - 11th Precinct _**

Detective Danny Woo was on part of his vacation last week. Of all the places he could have gone, he went to Arizona. It was all for a recharge, of sorts. He was hoping to come back to something simple to start out with. A neat little homicide, maybe a crime of passion, with no fuss. Alas, simple wasn't what he got.

"OK, we got two vics. One Marie Valakesh, 32, health-food store owner on the Upper West Side. Now we got 39-year-old Janet Devereaux, antique dealer on Duane St."

"Yeah, that's about it. Both kept to themselves, both own their own store, and both had their hearts removed. Those are the only connections so far," said Sara dejectedly. She had no doubt they would turn up something. She was just hoping it would be before the killer started up again.

"Well, one of the witnesses said that a mail courier came by the previous day around 1:30 pm. CSI checked the apartment and found a glass container filled with what they thought was marijuana. The plastic cover wasn't taken off yet. They also found a business card next to it, 'Rowena's Earth Emporium', located in Parsippany. The package must have been thrown out with the garbage," said Jake.

"So maybe it _was_ drugs. Still doesn't explain the heart thing though. Or why a drug distributor would leave a calling card in the package. Might have been simple ground-up herbs," Danny pointed out.

"Well Forensics is checking on that, said they'll have it in a few hours," Jake said.

Sara wanted to hit the streets for answers as soon as possible. "Until then, let's find out about this company. Check on Ms. Devereaux's purchase and the courier they used. Maybe we can track this guy down and ask if he saw anything."

"Got it," said Danny, already on the phone.

"Cool. Me and Jake'll check out the antique store, see if anyone knows anything about what Ms. Devereaux was up to or why she was killed."

_**  
1:04 pm, Monday – Duane St., Vinnie's Pizza Pub**_

"So did you know Ms. Valakesh well?" asked Buffy. They had gone to the health-food store to see if anyone was there, but were rebuffed by a 'Closed' sign. They hoped to question some of the small businesses that adorned the area and get some, even a few, answers. Hoping to strike gold, or at least copper, they had ventured into Vinnie's Pizza Pub.

"No, not really. She was nice when you met her, though. Just kind of kept to herself. Came down for a slice of Meat-Marvel now and then. It's a shame what happened to her."

"A health-food store owner craved meat-topped pizzas?" Buffy said inquisitively.

"Hey, everybody's got to have their vices. My pizza was hers," said Vinnie proudly. "Did you check with her assistant? She'd probably know more."

"The store wasn't open," Giles said.

"Her assistant's a college girl, only comes in during the afternoon. She should be opening up about now."

Sure enough, looking outside of the door, someone was opening up Marie's store.

"Thanks a lot," Buffy said.

"No problem. You make sure you come back for a slice, got it?"

"Got it", Buffy replied, smiling as she and Giles left.

They walked into the store, where the assistant greeted them. "Welcome to Natural Life Market. I'm Gwen. Can I help you?" Buffy knew the girl's heart wasn't in it. Her greeting was forced, like it had been ripped out of her unwillingly. Of course, whose heart would be into running a store when the owner was murdered a month ago?

Giles was the first to reply. "Actually, yes. We wanted to ask you about the owner, Ms. Valakesh."

The girl immediately became defensive. "Why do you want to know about her?" she asked almost challengingly.

"We're not here for any ill purpose, miss," Giles assured. "We just want to know about her."

"You're not one of those people who likes grisly murders and collects 'souvenirs', are you?" asked Gwen.

"No, no," said Giles quickly. "We just want to understand who she was and why this happened. Nothing else, I assure you."

Feeling they were genuine, she replied, "Well, she's owned... I mean, she owned... this store for the last seven years, after her Mom died. Her mother owned it before her."

Buffy spoke up. "Did she have any enemies, maybe an old boyfriend or something?"

"No," the girl replied. "Nothing like that. She was a keep-to-herself kind of person, a danger to no one." That's when the girl started breaking down.

Buffy's heart went out to her. To lose a friend who was by all accounts innocent was certainly cruel. She hoped to find whoever did this and dispense a little 'pain therapy'.

"Things have been so difficult lately," the girl said. "I'm selling the space to buyers within the next month. She doesn't have any known relatives and I have to take care of her affairs. Being in college, I can't run this store full time. She loved it so much." The girl started to break down even more.

As Buffy consoled her, Giles eyes were wandering about when he spotted something familiar. "Pardon me, is that a Thesulan orb?" he asked.

"Yeah," Gwen replied, red-eyed and still sniffling. "That's what Marie said it was. She was into some pretty interesting stuff. I wasn't. I just liked the health food aspect and such."

"Was she, by any chance, a practicing witch?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, that's what she said she was."

"Thank you for your time. We're sorry for your loss," Giles said quickly. With that he and Buffy exited the store.

"A practicing witch," Buffy said outside on the sidewalk. "Probably has something to do with all of this. Like I said before Giles, coincidences and leprechauns."

"I'm inclined to agree," Giles replied.

At that moment, Buffy's cell phone rang. It was Willow. "Hey Buffy, I was checking web sites and some of the newspapers, cross-referencing them with some of the stuff in your dream. I turned on the TV and turns out there was a murder victim found this morning, a Janet Devereaux. Police aren't releasing any details, but the news reports are saying her heart was removed."

"Well, we found out something too, Will. Marie Valakesh was a witch. Saw a Thesulan orb and asked her assistant."

Willow was not happy at this bit of info. Someone was targeting witches, someone who probably had an agenda. "If Ms. Devereaux was one also, then that's probably the connection."

"Well, we can't go near her place while the investigation is still going on. Would attract unwanted police attention. I'll do patrol tonight and try and scrounge up information from the local 'wildlife'. See ya, Willow," said Buffy.

"I'll head back and work on deciphering your dream. Hopefully something will come about," Giles said.

_Hopefully._

___**4:26 pm, Monday - Duane St., Natural Life Market**_

Getting out of the car, Sara and Jake made it over to the health-food store. They tried the antique store, but came up dry. The store was closing for the day out of respect for Ms. Devereaux and the last person to leave, the assistant manager, knew surprisingly little about her employer. They started walking when Sara's cell phone went off.

"What's up, Danny?" she said.

"Hey Pez. Got some info on Devereaux's purchase. I tried calling the business, but all I got was a busy signal. Forensics got that report in on the jar of herbs. Turns out it was sage. More specifically, Chia sage, native to California."

"Why sage?" Sara asked.

"I asked the same thing and one of guys said it was common in... get this... spells. As in actual witch spells," Danny said.

Sara was surprised, to say the least. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope," was all Danny replied.

Sara felt this was going to be one of those weird cult cases, the ones that stuck with a cop's career wherever they went, the kind that everyone always talked about. "Thanks, Danny. I'll tell Jake." She hung up and went in to get Jake, who was questioning Gwen.

"Hey, Pez. Ms. Marshall was just telling me how two other people came in earlier asking about Ms. Valakesh."

Sara was extremely unhappy. Actually, she was pissed. Someone interfering with a police investigation? she thought. Someone looking to spend time in a nice, small cell. She brushed the thought out of her mind to ask Gwen what she wanted.

"Ms. Marshall, was Ms. Valakesh, by any chance, a witch?" asked Sara.

Gwen was a little surprised. "Yeah, she said she was a practicing Wiccan. As a matter of fact, those other two people left right after they asked me the same thing."

"What did they look like?" Jake asked.

Gwen replied, "Well, one was a man, late 40's, early 50's, glasses. Had a British accent. The other was a woman, in her 20's, kind of small. Had blond hair. That's about all I can remember. I was so distressed about things I forgot to ask their names."

"Thanks for your time, ma'am," Jake said.

They exited the store and Sara told Jake what Danny relayed to her. "Seems Ms. Devereaux was also a witch. Danny said Forensics found out the herbs in that jar were sage, commonly used in spells."

Jake couldn't believe it. Spells? Witches? Were Dorothy and Toto going to make an appearance, too? "You're kidding, right?"

"'Fraid not, McCartey. Someone's killing witches. And someone else is trying to get in our investigation. I want to get to the bottom of both."

**  
Meanwhile...**

The robed figure approached the locked room with a reverence for what was beyond it. In there, Tarchannen, also known as "The Dark One", meditated. For all Sean Davidson knew, Tarchannen was a specter, face always hidden and body robed in black. But what Tarchannen looked like didn't matter as what was promised to Sean: absolute power. When the world became theirs, as one of Tarchannen's followers, Sean would come into power like he had never seen. A few months ago, he was just some guy trying to make a buck selling drugs. Now, he was on the frontier of a new beginning, for all of them. The world would bow before them. Soon.

"I'm here to see The Dark One," he said to the guards. They were vampires, but they were intrigued by The Dark One's promise of power. Thus, they had chosen to serve him.

The guards opened the door and Sea proceeded in. There his master sat cloaked in darkness and meditating.

"You sent for me, Master?" he asked.

In a deep, harsh voice the dark figure spoke. "Yes. It seems that we have interlopers in our midst. I have sensed them ever since they arrived. We must step up our plans before they interfere. Here." The Dark One produced a photograph to Sean.

"I want them both. My spell will guide you to them. Bring their hearts back to me. Work quickly, and you will be rewarded upon completion of your task."

Sean was pleased. Rewards were always good. He replied humbly, "As you wish, my master."

He left to carry out his master's bidding. Tarchannen smiled. Soon the world would bow. Soon the world would bleed.


	4. Chapter IV

**_6:10 pm, Monday - 11th Precinct_**

"Tell me you're making progress on this heart-snatcher, Pezzini." Captain Bruno Dante always seemed to have it in for her. Sara wondered how she was able to stay in his precinct when it seemed that not only did Dante not like her much, but was also well on his way to handing her her walking papers any minute.

"Yeah, Captain, we've made some progress. Turns out this guy's hunting... witches," Sara said, wincing at the term.

"Run that by me again?"

"Witches, as in casting spells and stuff," she replied.

"Great, some wacko serial killer. Alright, get a profiler in here tomorrow on what this prick's next move is. Last thing I need is more bodies popping up. And keep this stuff out of the press. We don't need the public getting into a panic."

"One more thing, Captain," Jake intervened. "Also turns out two people were asking about Ms. Valakesh before we got there. One British guy and a young blonde female."

Dante was displeased as ever. No one muscled in on an investigation of his. _No one_. But if these guys weren't a problem _per se_, he wanted them found as an added plus, in case they knew something the police didn't. "Try and find this wacko first. _If_ these people become a problem, track'em down and bring'em in, see what they know."

"Got it, Captain," Jake replied.

Sara let out a long sigh she didn't even know she held after Dante left. Then again, she should have known she held it because she did it most of the time he was around.

"What you got planned for tonight, Pez?" Jake asked as he started to put on his jacket.

"I'm going to head home and call it a night, McCartey," she replied. "Something tells me I'm going to need the sleep."

"Got it. What about you, Danny?"

"I'm going to finish up some stuff, see if I can help out the profiler tomorrow."

"Guess I'm all alone tonight. See ya guys," replied Jake, as he left for whatever he had planned.

"See you tomorrow, Danny. Don't stay up too late," Sara said.

"Night, Pez."

Sara got out of the precinct and on her motorcycle. Contrary to what she had said, her destination wasn't home... at least, not yet. She made her way to a building with a swanky apartment, the home of a... well, 'friend' was not something she used at all to describe him. After her confrontation with Kenneth Irons, Ian Nottingham held Sara personally responsible for his demise. And she was, in some way, though Sara felt Irons had brought it upon himself. But Nottingham was a mystery. First a protector, then as devious as his former master, now an enigma, she trusted him as far as she could throw him. It had been over a year since the last time she saw him, a total of two years since Irons' death. She could tell, whenever she looked into his eyes, that he was plotting something against her. But until then, she would make him useful. She arrived at his home and was escorted by the butler.

"Good evening, Lady Sara," Nottingham said when she entered, brooding over a fire whilst in his chair. "It's been a while."

"Cut the niceties, Nottingham," Sara replied curtly. "You know why I'm here."

"The murder victim you discovered this morning, I suppose."

"Yeah, you suppose right."

"You believe that this murder is linked to a previous one, about a month ago?" he asked.

"Yeah. What's the story on them?"

Nottingham just smiled, though Sara didn't see it, as his face was focused on the fire. He had known about them, but someone had done something in his city without his permission and without his foreknowledge. In a way, he was impressed. He was also, thought he didn't show it, displeased. If the killer had the power and audacity to do something like that here, it would only be a matter of time before their interests clashed. And that clashing would bring bloodshed and expend precious resources. "You waste your time, Lady Sara. I know nothing of these murders, with the exception of their occurrence."

Sara didn't buy it. "I don't believe you."

Nottingham smiled again as he stood. "What you believe is irrelevant," he replied. "I have told you the truth and nothing less."

Defeated, she said, "Fine. But if this is some sick game..."

"I believe you were on your way out," Nottingham replied curtly.

Sara was partly incensed, but held it in. "Yeah," she replied. And with that she turned and left.

"I will tell you this, though, Lady Sara. Things will soon change. I feel it. I do not know how or when, but I know things will change. For all of us," he said cryptically.

Registering this comment and furrowing her brow in confusion, she turned and left for home.

_**  
8:15 pm, Monday – Slayer Base HQ**_

"So we've got two witches with their hearts removed. Probably a ritual of some kind," said Willow.

"That was my first assumption as well," said Giles.

Buffy wanted to be out and about slaying vamps and gathering info. She'd leave the research to the experts. "I'm going on patrol, see if I can dig up some dirt," she said on her way out.

Giles wanted to make a strategy first. He called out to Buffy, "Wait! Buffy, we don't want to alert anyone to our presence just yet. While this city probably has many Slayers, I doubt any of them fully understand things yet. We also don't know who's involved in this. If we tip our hand, we could cause them to step up their plans. Maybe you should wait until tomorrow for patrol." Buffy looked at him surprisingly. "As a suggestion, of course," he amended. Ever since that night he and Robin tried to kill Spike, Buffy was cautious of Giles' advice. She still respected him and trusted him, but even she had to admit things weren't the same after that.

Still, she saw the logic in it and relented. "Alright, we'll hold off until tomorrow."

_**  
1:15 am, Tuesday – NYU Campus**_

Kyrie and Kelly Tobias were walking home from their extremely-late 'club' meeting. They had been existed about finishing up their second year of college. Identical twins, Kyrie dreamt of being a world-famous physicist, while Kelly had pursuits in the arts. But in the rush to be the next Nobel Prize or Academy Award winner, they had found time to take a couple of classes together, such as their business course during the current quarter. They had agreed to at least take something together every school year.

Walking home at night had not been a exercise in danger that most thought it would be. They had gotten quite accustomed to it. However tonight was going to be different, particularly since no one, save the perpetrators, knew what was going to happen when four figures grabbed the two girls unnoticed in the dark.


	5. Chapter V

_**5:07 am, Tuesday - Detective Sara Pezzini's Apartment**_

Sara was sound asleep. And in that sleep she dreamt of things that were, things that weren't, and things that could have been. She saw Conchobar, a love lost. She saw her father, a dedicated officer with a somewhat spotty past, but still her hero in many respects. She saw a life without the accursed Witchblade, away from the rigors of combating evil that the world only saw in its nightmares. One could term the dream a pleasant one. That is, until she saw two girls bound and gagged with knives plunging into their chests.

Sara awoke with a start... again. Sweat... cold sweat... drenched her body, making her tank top cling to her body. _Not again_, she thought. She got up to take a shower, knowing Jake or Danny would be calling soon. Brushing her teeth and putting her hair into a ponytail, she threw on some clothes, her jacket, and lastly, her holster and gun. Her cell phone rang at that moment, as if by fate.

"Danny, let me guess: Another murder," she said.

Danny was a bit surprised. "Yeah," he replied. "How'd you know?"

"Why else would you be calling at 5:30 in the morning?"

"Right. Dante wants us over at the crime scene. NYU, East Campus."

"Got it," said Sara. With that, she hung up the phone. _Only Tuesday and we got a serial killer running rings around us_, she thought as she left. She pondered hitting the heavy bag, but all the punches wouldn't do her frustration justice. She was angry. She was more than angry... she was furious. Drawing back a punch anyway, the Witchblade activated, extending the small blade she used for close, in-quarters fighting. It punctured the bag and its contents emptied onto the floor. When Sara saw what happened, she tried to calm down. "Relax, Sara, relax," she mumbled to herself. "Don't lose control." Taking a moment, she retracted the Witchblade, grabbed her helmet and keys, and left.

She arrived at the crime scene storming through, just trying to get in and get out. She saw Danny, who had been talking with some of the uniformed officers on the scene.

"What do we have?" she said curtly.

"Kyrie and Kelly Tobias. Twins. The groundskeepers found them this morning. I just got here so I haven't had a chance to question them."

"I'll do it," Sara said. "I need to still wake up anyway. Where's McCartey?"

"He should be here soon."

Exhaling a sigh of frustration, she merely said, "You know, Danny, sometimes I _really_ hate this job."

"You and me both, Pez. You and me both."

_**  
6:57 am, Tuesday – Slayer Base HQ**_

Buffy woke up to a nice bright morning. She was going to get an early jog in, to get the juices flowing, before getting down to tracking the killer. Turning on the TV in the main room, she went back into her room to take off her pajamas and put on her sweats. Returning to the chair in front of the TV, just as she was putting on her running shoes, she saw a reporter talking about a murder.

"Yes, Bob. I'm over on NYU's East Campus where police officials arrived to a grisly scene. Two girls were found dead by morning groundskeepers. Police will not release any information about the victims, but I'm going to try and talk to one of the detectives on the scene. Excuse me... excuse me, detective."

Buffy yelled at the top of her lungs, "Willow, Giles, get in here!"

Both came rushing out, Willow with night cream on and Giles wearing... well, wearing the same thing on his face. Both Buffy and Willow just stared at him.

"What? It helps the pores," was his only reply.

Buffy disregarded it and said, "Look on the news."

There the female reporter was trying to get the attention of a blond, male cop. "Excuse me, detective." The cop turned around and stopped. "Excuse me," the reporter said, "But can you tell us about the victims or the crime?"

The detective answered simply and effectively. "No". Clearly not satisfied with that answer, she tried to follow him but was cut off by a couple of uniformed cops.

"Well, as you can see, Bob, the police are not releasing anything as of yet. If anything gets through we'll be sure to let our viewers know about this shocking murder on NYU's campus. This is Sandra Turner reporting for Channel 4. Back to you, Bob."

"Thanks, Sandra. Once again, two grisly murders on NYU's campus found this morning. We'll be reporting throughout the day on the incident."

Buffy shut off the TV. "Probably more heart-victims," she said.

Willow saw her face and knew how she felt. She knew Buffy felt like there was something she could have done, anything. She knew Buffy was regretting her decision to not patrol last night. But Willow reassured her, saying, "Buffy, we're pretty far from NYU's campus. You couldn't have done anything, even on patrol."

Buffy, sullen but resolved, said, "I know, Will. I just want to get started before this guy does any more damage. Let's do some more research on the ritual, see what we can find out. No doubt we got lucky on that interview with Ms. Valakesh's assistant since it happened three weeks ago. We probably won't get anywhere near any witnesses today. Maybe tomorrow."

"Agreed," said Giles. Despite their recent squabble a few weeks ago, Giles had enormous pride in his Slayer's judgment. He had taught her all he could, and anything else she would learn would come from age and experience. Then again, he made mistakes too in his "older" years, such as misjudging Spike's usefulness. To Giles, it just made him realize that everyone had something more to learn.

**_  
10:32 am, Tuesday - 11th Precinct_**

"You look good on camera, McCartey. You ever think of going into films, making teenage girls scream wherever you go?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Jake said. "Actually, my parents wanted me to go into medicine."

"How'd they take the cop thing?" Danny asked.

"How do you think?" Jake quipped.

Danny knew the story well enough. It came with many first-generation cops; the family's disapproval of a dangerous, under-appreciated, and not-too-high-paying job. "Okay, so where are we at?" Danny said, getting back on track.

Sara was the first to respond. "Well, I questioned the groundskeepers. They just came to do some work when they found the bodies. I checked with the school officials on any clubs the girls were apart of, though I didn't mention the witch stuff. Didn't want the press on it just yet. Found out they were a part of the campus Wiccan group. Got a list of e-mails and names from the directory. I'm going to try and track'em down and ask if they saw anything weird lately."

"Asking witches about something weird," Jake said sarcastically. He didn't buy all this "hocus-pocus, mumbo-jumbo", as he called it. But the killer did. And that was all that mattered to him.

"I'll join you on this one, Pez," said Danny.

"Fine by me," said Sara. "Let's go."

"I'm going to check with Forensics, see if they come up with anything," Jake said. "I'm also going to check Ms. Devereaux's workplace again and ask the employees."

_**  
11:45 am, Tuesday – NYU Campus**_

Danny and Sara had come up a little dry on the list of Wicca club members. Either the person was out of their dorm or didn't know the victims too well. They were counting on the next member on the list, Cassandra Lockhart, to give them something to work with. Approaching the door, Sara knocked, hoping that someone was home.

The door opened and a tall brunette responded sullenly, "Yes?"

"Ms. Lockhart?" Sara asked.

"Yes?" the girl answered.

Flashing their badges, Sara replied, "Detectives Pezzini and Woo, Ms. Lockhart. We're investigating the deaths of Kyrie and Kelly Tobias."

"Please come in. I knew them somewhat. Not a whole lot, but they were some of the nicest people you'd ever meet in your entire life. Who would do something like this?" she said, bitterly.

"We're trying to find that out ma'am," Danny replied. "Did any of them notice anyone following them, or anyone weird hanging around their dorms?"

"No, nothing like that," the girl said.

Sara spoke up next. "We tracked some of the people who saw her last. They say they were at a club meeting last night until morning. Were there any newcomers, or people who might have been out of place there?"

"No, it was a pretty small gathering. Since it's spring semester, most of our group is gone. Everyone knew everybody. But there is someone who you should talk to: Dana Carlson, a senior. She heads our... club."

"Do you know where we could find Ms. Carlson at this time?" Sara asked hopefully.

"Well, she doesn't have any classes today. You could probably catch her at the Met. She's a major in archeology and has an internship over there. Plus she got an extension on her senior thesis and works on it there during her time off. No doubt she probably never even heard what happened since she's so busy."

"Thank you for your time, ma'am," Danny said politely.

"If I can do anything else to help, just let me know. I want you to catch the guy who did this," she said.

"We'll keep in touch," said Sara. As she started to leave, she turned and asked, "By the way, has a British guy or a blonde girl asked you any questions about the murders, or inquired about your club?"

"No, no one like that came by," the girl said.

"Thanks again, ma'am," said Sara.

As they left, Danny spoke first. "Think the Brit and the blonde might be suspects?"

"Maybe. Ms. Valakesh's assistant they came to the health-food store asking questions, but her murder was over a month ago and no one mentioned those two in the report. That means they might have just started looking into it."

"Or they could be the killers and are just being quirky," said Danny. "So, to the Met?"

"To the Met," Sara replied.

_**  
12:03 pm, Tuesday – Slayer Base HQ**_

"Giles, we've gone over every book you've got here, plus the one in the mini-library. Willow's been checking the web since 7:00 this morning and we've only seen four rituals that use hearts. Demon-summoning, power-granting, but none of them specifically use witch hearts", Buffy said.

"I know, I know. It looks like patrol might be the only way to get any information."

Willow had a suggestion. She knew no one would like it, but what did she have to lose by asking it? "Well, we could ask Angel and his crew..." This drew looks of surprise from both Buffy and Giles. "...or not," she quickly amended. "Yeesh, turn off the faces."

"Willow, I don't want to involve Angel in this," Buffy said.

Willow read between the lines. She knew what Buffy _really_ meant. "You mean you don't want to involve Wolfram & Hart in this."

"That too. Look, Will, until we know more about whatever they're up to, I don't want to give them any leads on our work," Buffy said.

"Wolfram & Hart has always been a partner in the worst evils in the world," Giles agreed. "If we alert Angel, someone may get wind of it and interfere. Or worse, exacerbate the situation."

Willow relented, but searched for something. "Still, we've got to do something. I mean, are we just going to sit here and read until the sun goes down?"

Buffy and Giles just looked at each other. With a great sigh, Buffy handed Willow one of Giles' books. Willow, disappointed, just said, "I'll go search the web some more."


	6. Chapter VI

_**1:06 pm, Tuesday – Metropolitan Museum of Art**_

An overly-cheery greeter smiled at Sara and Danny as they came in. "Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Would you like to go on one of our tours?"

"No," said Sara. "Actually, we're with the police." Sara and Danny flashed their badges. "We're looking for one of your interns, Dana Carlson. Do you know where she is?"

"No," the greeter said. "But if you go up to the help desk, you could probably find her in the personnel directory."

"Thanks," Sara said.

After making their way to the help desk, they found the section Dana was working in. Walking into the research rooms, they asked caught the attention of the assistant curator. "Excuse me, this is a restricted area. Can I help you?"

Danny was the first to reply as they showed their badges. "Detectives Woo and Pezzini, sir. We're looking for Dana Carlson."

"Is she in trouble?" the curator said.

"No, sir. We just wanted to ask her some questions," said Sara.

The curator furrowed his brow eyes inquisitively and asked, "Does this have anything to do with that murder on campus? Dana left when she heard about it from one of her co-workers. Said she needed to take the day off, so I let her. I don't know where she went after that."

"How did she seem, sir, after she heard the news?" Danny said. Being thorough, he wanted to cover all of the angles, just in case Ms. Carlson was more involved than they all believed.

"Well, she seemed pretty disturbed. She rushed out soon as I told her she could leave," the curator said.

Sara took out one of her cards and gave it to the man. "If she happens to stop by, tell her to give us a call," she said.

"Of course," he said accepting the card.

Danny, always the polite one, thanked the curator before they left.

On their way out, Sara said to Danny, "Let's check her apartment. She's probably at home by now."

Danny agreed, but hunger won out for the moment. "Sure," he said. "But let's get a bite first. I'm starved."

_**  
3:32 pm, Tuesday – Streets of New York**_

Buffy and Willow were finished with researching. Even Giles had to admit they were getting nowhere, and he was usually patient. So they all decided to pound the pavement at around 2:15 to get any info. Giles had called Robin Wood earlier in the day, who was in Japan with Faith at the time, to see if he had any connections in New York through his mother's former Watcher Bernard Crowley. Bernard had died a few years back, peacefully, but had left Robin with valuable connections in case he ever needed them. After a few niceties on the phone, the group went to go check out the spots Robin e-mailed to them. They decided to go together rather than split up. It was going to take longer, but they all understood that New York wasn't Sunnydale. Bigger city, bigger ground to cover, bigger chances to end up in a dumpster somewhere. They didn't want to take the risk of being caught off-guard.

**_  
4:05 pm, Tuesday - 11th Precinct_**

Sara and Danny had gone to Dana's apartment. They expected Dana to be there, grieving over the loss of her friends. Much to Sara's surprise, no one answered the door. The mail hadn't even been picked up.

They both decided to catch some of the other Wicca club members who were unavailable at the time. They had gotten through most of the list, with the exception of Dana and a few others, and had no suspects. One girl mentioned an ex-boyfriend of Kyrie's in a relationship that ended pretty badly, but he had gone back to Florida for an internship at the end of the winter term.

They went back to the precinct to find a woman, dressed professionally and sporting jet-black bangs, talking with Captain Dante and Jake.

"Pezzini, Woo, this is Dr. Felcher. She's a psychologist on loan from the Feds," said Dante.

"Hello, detectives," the doctor replied.

"Hey," Sara said. "So what does the good doctor think about our killer?"

"Well," she began. "I can tell you that this person isn't motivated by rage. The relative precision of the cuts, as well as the lack of bruising or mutilation on the body reveal that they don't hold any grudge against their victims. The victims are just used for whatever purpose and discarded. I would say it's unlikely this person even knows them on a personal level, or does, but is a new acquaintance."

"Which rules out any jealous exes," said Danny.

"Also," said Dr. Felcher. "There may be some possibility this person is linked to the occult in some way. The captain here told me about how self-professed witches were being killed. Some ancient cultures believed that taking the heart of one's victims imbued them with power from the person killed. This killer may believe that taking these hearts, maybe even ingesting them, will give them that power. There is another possibility, though."

"And what's that?" asked Sara.

"It could be that this person is using these hearts ritualistically, in some grand scheme. Whether the result is real or not, this person believes it is, and will act accordingly to carry it out. They may also be extremely charismatic, since more than one person probably did the twins' murders. The killer may have convinced someone to help him, possibly promising him or her power or wealth or something. It's also possible that the killer is like the Son of Sam, hearing voices to murder these people. I wouldn't rule that out."

"That's a lot of possibilities, Doc," Sara said sardonically. "So this person's just crazy?" she said, trying to sum it up.

"Well," answered Dr. Felcher. "Crazy to you and me, but probably not to the point of antisocial personality disorder. This person is calm, patient, and knows what they want. While they stepped up their timetable for some reason, probably because of the police, they don't seem to be acting out impulsively. I would go so far as to say that these attacks were planned out well in advance."

Danny was confused for a moment. "I thought you said this person probably didn't know their victims."

"More than likely, no," Dr. Felcher answered. "But that doesn't mean they didn't keep track of them. These victims weren't random at all. There is nothing even remotely linking the victims together other than being witches. Someone would have to know these people were witches, meaning they had probably observed them for some time or knew someone who knew them."

"So what's the physical type we're looking for?" asked Sara.

"Likely, a white male, in his 30's or 40's. Probably unhappy with his lot in life. Most likely smooth-talking or charismatic. Might have some normal, healthy relationships but prefers to keep to himself. More than likely, if you saw him on the street you wouldn't suspect him. However, keep your eyes open. Nowadays it could be just about anybody with a little bit of knowledge and lot of ambition."

"Thanks, Doc," said Dante.

"My pleasure, Captain." After she left the office Dante closed the door and said, "Look, I don't know how long I can keep the witch details out of the press. The city's starting to lose its head and people want solutions. This thing gets out of hand and we might all be on the unemployment line. Get out there and find something, anything."

As the three detectives left, Dante said, "No, Pezzini. You stay."

Sara, visibly unhappy with that, closed the door to Dante's office.

"How much you been putting in on this case, Pezzini?" Dante asked.

Sara hated this. If it wasn't one thing with Dante it was another: questioning her methods, questioning her adherence to procedure like she was a rookie, or something else. Now he was questioning her commitment to the case.

She answered, "Cap, I've been giving this case all I got and then some."

"Really?" challenged Dante.

Sara challenged him back. "Yeah. Really."

Dante was staring daggers into her, and then relented. "I need you to do anything necessary to get this guy, Pezzini. You got that?"

Sara was a little surprised and voiced it. "I don't need to be told that, captain. I work twice as hard as anybody in this department and you know that."

"Then work harder," Dante retorted.

"Is the brass really leaning on you that much," Sara asked, "getting nervous that you might blow this one?"

Dante was pissed but held it back and said, "You know, you and your old man are quite alike: same attitude, same toughness... and the same amount of lip. Hope you don't end up like him, Pezzini." Sara's smile faded after that comment. "Just go out and do it, alright?"

With that Sara turned and left the office.

_Joe, one day I'm going to cash in on that big favor you owe me,_ Dante thought. _Big time._


	7. Chapter VII

I'm sorry I waited too long before posting, but I'm really very new to writing... thanks for the reviews all you cats and kittens. It really means a lot that you guys took time out to read my story. But enough talk from me... on to the show.

* * *

_**7:34 pm, Tuesday – Slayer Base HQ**_

She couldn't believe it. She really couldn't.

Three hours they had visited some of Robin's contacts and they all got about one thing out of them: nothing. A large pile of nothing, topped with a dollop of nada, with a huge, heaping side of squidoo.

Buffy was ready to explode. Oh, she got a few of the old standards: a 'Something-big-is-coming' here or a 'Something-huge-is-on-the-way' there, but it was stuff she, Giles, and Willow already knew. Mostly it was just people having no clue what was going on.

She figured patrol, and pounding the face of some vamps, was going to get her at least a starting place to work with. And be somewhat therapeutic.

_**  
10:07 pm, Tuesday – Hudson St., Johnny Red's Bar and Grille**_

Sara had seen to the last of her paperwork. She, Jake, and Danny were compiling a list of suspects, anyone from Ms. Devereaux's employees to new transfer students to NYU. Following the description given by the profiler, they had weeded down the list. Then there was the British guy and blonde girl who were asking questions about the victims. She treated them as a side issue until they became a problem which, she hoped, they never did.

She decided to call it a night. At least, that's what she told her partners... again. In truth, she went to get some info at a bar on Hudson Street. She had gotten some leads there before, so she was hoping they wouldn't disappoint this time.

Walking in, she went over to the bar. The place was pretty popular for a bar its size and the food was good. Better than that, though, the bartender had a knack for having some of the best info this side of the Western Hemisphere. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but Sara was pretty impressed by the guy's ability to have the hard-to-get information. It was even more impressive that he had just gotten in a few years ago, from some place in California, to help out his cousin who owned the place.

"Hey, Willy," said Sara.

"Detective Pezzini, how you been?" Willy said.

"Not doing too great, Willy. I'm sure you've heard about the serial killer out there taking out hearts," Sara said.

"Yeah, I heard about it alright," Willy replied.

"You got something on it for me, Willy? Something useful?"

"I might have somethin'," he responded.

Sara smiled and produced a single hundred-dollar bill. She didn't worry about the cost: it came from the police stash used for informants. Normally she wouldn't pay that high a price, but the cops needed the info badly this time. Willy went to grab the bill, but Sara snatched it away.

"You know the deal: the info first, Willy. Then you get the cash."

"Okay, look, I heard through the grapevine of somethin' weird going on at one of the abandoned warehouses by the docks. Overheard a couple of guys sayin' they seen figures walk in and out. Robed, too."

"Robed?" Sara said inquisitively.

"Yeah. _Robed_."

"Know who was doing the talking?"

"These ain't the types you wanna be talkin' to, Detective, especially at night."

Sara remained skeptical. _If you only knew what I dealt with every day_. Continuing, she asked, "Got an idea of which warehouse, Willy?"

"Nope, didn't catch that. But I did hear that they used it to store canned tuna a couple years back."

Sara knew the warehouse. The company had gone out of business a few years back due to the competition in the market. No one had bought the building since.

"Thanks, Willy," said Sara, handing him the money.

"No problem, Detective. A pleasure doin' business with you."

Sara got on her bike. The warehouse her next destination, she left hoping to crack the case wide open.

_**  
10:22 pm, Tuesday – Outside of Johnny Red's Bar and Grille**_

Buffy had been out patrolling for over an hour. Her purpose tonight wasn't slaying vamps; that was an added bonus. No, the goal tonight was reconnaissance and interrogation. She had stakes in her jacket and her Slayer scythe hidden in a custom violin case. _No need to let anyone think I'm the killer_, she thought. Hopefully, the vamps would lead her to the killer/killers or to someone who knew where they were. And that hope was paid off when one of the vampires she threatened to stake told her about this place. He said it was the place to go for info and that the bartender had a knack for it. After dusting the vamp, she quickly went to work looking for the place.

Walking in, she made her way over to the bar. The bartender had his back turned to her as she set herself up on the stool. She touched his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, I heard you were the guy to..." she trailed off as the bartender turned.

"You!" Willy said, shocked.

"Willy."

"What are you doin' here?"

"Me? What about you?"

"Hey, I'm just helpin' out my cousin. We run a respectable business here."

"Respectable, huh? Word on the street is you deal in underground info."

"What do you wanna know?"

"The killer. Got anything on where he might be?" asked Buffy.

"Maybe. Got any cash?" Willy asked.

"No, but I do have currency from our previous arrangement. _Hard_ currency", she said threateningly.

"Aw, man. Alright, just make it quick. Remember I'm a bleeder." Buffy sighed heavily and rolled her eyes as she drew back a fist, Willy saying loudly, "She mean nothin' to me, baby!"

Connecting to Willy's nose she grew impatient and asked, "So what do you know?"

"What's going on over here?" a man asked as he approached Willy.

"Sorry, Bobby. Old girlfriend. She'll be gone soon."

"Fine, just make it quick, huh? And next time, leave the personal stuff at home," Bobby said before returning to serve his patrons.

Willy, still reeling from the punch and holding his nose said, "Man, why can't you just pay cash like everyone else?"

"Willy!"

"Alright, alright. Some of the local vamps were talking about some old canned tuna warehouse by the docks. Seems somebody's puttin' it to use."

"Hey bartender!" someone yelled out. "Can I get a drink over here or what?"

"Sorry, Slayer. Gotta get back to work," Willy said quickly as he left.

"Wait! Willy, which warehouse?" she yelled. It was futile. She couldn't get through over the music playing and the patrons clamoring.

Buffy let out a loud grunt in frustration. Right when she could get more info the source got away from. She was beginning to think it was fate messing with her. Hopefully, a foreman or dock worker could point her in the right direction.

Willy then remembered that in, his pain stupor, he had completely forgotten to tell Buffy about the cop also checking out the warehouse.

He looked at the blonde run out the door. Knowing how she would react upon him leaving out a vital piece of information, he commented to himself.

"She gonna kick my teeth in."

_**  
10:57 pm, Tuesday – Docks**_

Sara had arrived at the docks to make a sweep of the area before going into the warehouse. Though some of the traffic had kept her from getting there sooner, she had arrived at what she hoped was a decent time to catch something out of the ordinary going on there. After combing the area a little, she made her way toward the warehouse. As she walked, she heard something rustle around the corner. She pulled her piece out of her holster and had it ready. She turned the corner quickly and yelled, "Freeze!" To her dismay, it was cat sifting through some garbage left by some wooden crates. Sighing, Sara decided to keep her gun at the ready. _Stupid cat. Thanks for taking ten years off my life_, she thought. She began to slowly make her way toward the east end of the warehouse.

_**  
11:15 pm, Tuesday – Docks**_

Buffy had kept to the roofs of the buildings to bypass pedestrians getting in her way. _Clichéd_, she thought, _but effective_. Making her way until she saw the docks, she dropped down to the ground and walked toward them. She wanted to ask somebody where the warehouse was, but wanted to do it without arousing suspicion. If someone had noticed weird activity there, she didn't want to be on the suspect description list. As she thought up some lame story to use to get info, she felt something familiar. It was exactly like what she had felt on the plane when they were arriving, only stronger. She had been feeling it ever since then. Forgetting the late night dockworkers, she followed the strange sensation.

_**  
11:21 pm, Tuesday – Old 'Fish Feast' Warehouse**_

Sara had taken her time to walk around the perimeter of the warehouse. She then climbed on some of the empty crates on the side to look get an idea of what she would expect before going in. Up there, she felt a strange presence, just like before in the ME's office. Seeing nothing in through the warehouse window, not even a light or candle or anything, she decided to get down from her "perch" and enter the premises. It was when she approached the door on the east side of the warehouse that the sensation started to intensify and she realized it was coming from the north side of the building. It was the same as yesterday, only much stronger... and closer. She was practically bathing in its presence, the power washing over her like a waterfall. Her heart was racing. It was damn near overwhelming. Holstering her gun, she activated the Witchblade, unsheathing its sword.

_**  
11:24 pm, Tuesday – Old 'Fish Feast' Warehouse**_

Buffy's "Spidey-sense" was going off the charts. She had never felt anything like this before. Formerly a strong, powerful sensation, the feeling was now like waves crashing against her. And the even stranger part was that it seemed to have emotion attached to it. She slowly took out her scythe as she approached the east side of the warehouse. She wanted to be prepared for whatever she encountered. _Prepared_, she thought. _If prepared meant your senses going into overdrive and your heart racing, then yeah, I'm prepared_.

As the two women started to turn their respective corners, the last thing each of them saw (or heard) before being thrown back against stacks of crates was the sight and sound of metal clashing against metal and the sonic boom of a tiny explosion.


	8. Chapter VIII

The blast had rendered the lamp above them useless. It was almost pitch black, with a little moonlight illuminating only the faintest of things. Disoriented, Buffy got up only to see a figure standing with what looked like a sword. And the thing radiated evil. Still holding on to her scythe she decided to attack first.

Sara, still slighted disoriented from the blast, saw the figure with the ax and blocked it. The figure was relentless in its attack. Sara was trying to helm control over the Witchblade, but its hunger was too strong. It started to take over, and she grabbed the figure's forearm mid-swing. Retracting her sword, Sara grabbed onto the lapel of the figure's jacket and threw the person into the warehouse through the doorway. Unsheathing her sword again, she followed the figure into the warehouse.

Buffy was pissed. Twice she had been forced to the ground and still she couldn't see who it was. Stepping back as the figure made its way into the warehouse, she saw by the moonlight through the window that the person was a woman. A woman with an armored glove and a sword attached. More than that, Buffy saw that the woman had murder in her eyes directed at her. Deciding once again to take the offensive, Buffy swung overhead.

Sara had gotten a glimpse of the person through the moonlight coming in by the windows. It was a young blonde girl with an intricate weapon at her disposal. But that didn't register, as the Witchblade seemed to almost guide her as she blocked another overhead strike.

Buffy seemed to be gaining ground against the woman, despite her opponent parrying all of her strikes, until the woman pinned her scythe down to the ground and punched Buffy in the face. Surprised at the feel of the punch Buffy swore she felt metal. _I thought the metal only covered her right hand_... Buffy thought. She didn't have time to ponder it as the woman began coming after her aggressively. This time Buffy was the one doing all of the parrying, trying to keep up with the attacks so as to avoid the blade. Sparks were flying as she backed up, hoping to catch an opening. Her hope rewarded she found one. Deflecting the woman's strike, she circled around, and struck.

Sara jumped back, seeing where the 'fancy ax' was headed. It sliced her abdomen, not deeply, but enough to make Sara livid. Touching the wound briefly she proceeded to attack again.

While Buffy was hoping to score a decent hit, she realized she only gave a glorified scratch. Seeing the woman renew her attack, she started backing up again, hoping it wouldn't go like this all night. Parrying and parrying her scythe was then circled around and around by the woman's blade until it flew from her hands. She was momentarily distracted by her weapon leaving her grasp. But a moment was all it took. The woman's blade plunged forward into Buffy's leg, piercing her thigh. The woman pulled the blade out of her the Slayer's leg causing Buffy to cry out in pain. Composing herself and trying to ignore the pain, Buffy awaited the woman's next attack.

Sara, in the heat of battle, went for the kill shot, propelled on by the Witchblade's urging. She swung toward the girl's head, but was surprised when she ducked it. Sara was thrown ten feet back into an empty crate by the girl's drop spin side-kick from the ground. She had no time to recover as the girl lifted her up to her feet and proceeded to pummel her face. Though the Witchblade formed a protective armor over her head, some blows had gotten through before then and the ones after made her brains feel like they were going to spill out of her skull.

Buffy wanted to make sure this woman didn't get up. She felt metal and ignored it, wanting to push on through regardless. Throwing punches at her, she was surprised when she saw a gloved fist move toward her face.

Sara had had enough. Throwing jabs and crosses she wanted to teach the girl a lesson in pain. The girl was reeling from the attacks, but then blocked Sara's left and twisted it, kicking her in the face. Sara rolled forward and, while still gripping the girl's arm, pulled her to her and delivered a right cross to her face. Getting up, Sara then followed up with a jump front kick to the jaw.

Buffy was slightly dazed from the kick. The woman was coming forward with a vengeance and threw a right cross at her. Buffy ducked the punch and threw her own punches to the woman's body. Right, left, right, left. Like a boxer Buffy put her body into it. The only time she felt like this was when right before she encountered Dracula. She knew it was the killer in her, the hunter, the thing that only wanted to destroy all that stood in its way. She grabbed the woman and threw her through the air.

Sara landed with thud against the wall, her back filled with pain at the moment of contact. The Witchblade was working to repair her, but she seriously questioned whether it would be enough to win. The blonde wasn't giving up. She saw the girl coming toward her, but Sara shifted to her left and kicked the side of the girl's right knee. The girl howled in pain and hobbled back. Sara then got up and proceeded to punch the girl in the face. Right, left, right, left, right, left. Sara had felt rage like this before. It was rage associated with the overpowering effects of the Witchblade. She was a wild animal, possessed with destroying her prey. She threw a haymaker uppercut to the girl that propelled her into the air and landed her onto a set of steps leading to the second level of the building.

Spitting blood out of her mouth, Buffy could feel her split lip stinging. Her eye was closing up, her right leg pained at the slightest movement, and the back of her head hurt from hitting the steps. She crawled up the steps as the woman stalked toward her, her armored glove now sporting the sword once again. Buffy watched expectedly as the woman drew her hand back to run it through her.

The woman thrust the sword toward her target. What could have been potential killing blow turned into a miss, as Buffy had turned on her right side and back-fisted the woman with her left. Not content with that, Buffy quickly grabbed the woman by her jacket collar and punched her in the face with her right. They both grabbed each other by the throat, squeezing with all of their might, trying to choke the other into unconsciousness. The woman head-butted Buffy right on the nose, causing tears to form. But then Buffy punched the woman again, took hold of her left hand, and twisted it clockwise at the wrist. The woman howled in pain and Buffy delivered a palm strike to her face.

Sara fell backwards and rolled down the steps until she hit the ground, where she coughed up blood. She was a mass of pain. Her lip was busted, her jaw was swollen, and her wrist was, as far as she could tell, broken. Add to it that her throat was going to be sporting bruises soon and she figured she probably looked like that slab of meat in 'Rocky'. She finally got to her feet and made her way up the steps. The girl had made it to the second level of the building. Hobbling, the girl held a piece of piping as her weapon. Sara approached her and engaged the her with her sword.

Buffy could barely stand and, at the same time, defend against the woman's attack. Nevertheless, she tried, and scored a hit against the woman's face with the piping and backed up as the woman rolled away and struggled to get up.

Sara was exhausted. She didn't know how long she would last, but knew this fight was going to end. Soon. The question of whether or not it was going to be in her favor was up in the air. Considering all of her options, she did the only thing she could think of: she charged the girl, yelling all the way.

Buffy saw with surprise as the woman was rushing toward her. Wincing at the pain in her leg and considering the few options she _did_ have, Buffy did the only thing she could do: brace for impact.

The two women broke the railing and went crashing through the window. Buffy fell on top of a high stack of crates, while Sara's momentum propelled her forward into the water.

Buffy slowly got to her knees and looked at the water. She couldn't see the woman in the darkness and didn't want to try and search for her. She figured retreat was the order of the evening and climbed down the crates to get her scythe still in the building. Running in, she saw candles set up in the center. As she left, she stopped to catch a look into the abandoned office. It was set up with a ritual circle of some sort, red and white. Buffy made a mental note, went outside to pick up her case, and hobbled away toward home.

Sara was staying afloat as best she could, fading in and out of consciousness rapidly. She made her way to the ladder and held on to rest. Breathing heavily, she stepped up, her wet clothes adding to her weight. When she got back on the dock, she merely lay there, catching her breath. After a few moments, she sat back up. She didn't see the girl anywhere. Getting up she tried to make her way back to her bike only to remember why she came to the warehouse. Reluctantly, she stumbled into the building and looked around as best she could. She saw some candles in the center of the building. Feeling too tired she started to leave, only to catch a glimpse of the office. She saw circles in the middle, concentric red and white circles, with none in the center.

With that, Sara turned and left to begin the journey home. All that was on the menu tonight was ice. Cold, soothing, ice.


	9. Chapter IX

_**1:49 am, Wednesday – Slayer Base HQ**_

Buffy stumbled into the room and fell from exhaustion.

"Buffy!" Willow yelled.

Giles was in the other room when he heard Willow. He rushed out to see his Slayer a mass of bruised and broken flesh.

"Oh dear Lord," Giles said. "Buffy! Buffy! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm... alright. I just... need... to rest... a bit," she said, struggling to get the words out.

"Certainly," said Giles. He then helped her take off her jacket as Willow prepared an ice pack and a wet towel to tend to her wounds.

Buffy lay down on the sofa, exhausted from the fight and the walk home. She immediately started to drift asleep.

As Willow gently wiped some of the blood away, Giles hoped that, after a night's rest, Buffy could tell them what happened. He wanted to know how this happened, and more importantly, who was responsible. He wanted to make them pay.

_**  
2:15 am, Wednesday – Sara Pezzini's Apartment**_

Sara had made it to her apartment in one piece, surprisingly. Back at the docks, she approached her bike and slowly walked it for about a half-hour until she felt good enough to ride it. The Witchblade was working overtime to heal her wounds and every step she took was nearly unbearable. She had to work through the late-night crowd on the road, as well as the extreme pain in her wrist making itself known every time she tightened her hand on the handles. But she made it.

The first thing she wanted to do after she locked the door was get an ice pack for her wounds. Turned out the first thing she did was pass out and collapse in a heap onto the floor.

_**  
7:42 am, Wednesday – Slayer Base HQ**_

Buffy's eyes fluttered at the sunlight. Well, one eye fluttered; the other one just kind of waffled due to a swelling that had gone down since last night. On the floor next to her, she found Giles and Willow sound asleep. _What would I do without you guys?_ Buffy thought. Deciding on a hot shower to help soothe things, she made her way toward the bathroom. She wanted the grime, grit, and blood off of her before starting a new day.

Buffy let the heated water run over her skin. It stung in some places, but mostly felt like ecstasy. She let the remnants of last night's... experience... wash away.

After pruning up considerably, she patted herself gently with a towel and put on her robe. Hobbling on her still-sore knee, she exited the bathroom and woke Giles and Willow.

"Hey guys," she said.

Willow was the first to awaken. Rubbing her eyes, she poked at Giles. "Giles, Buffy's awake!"

Giles awoke groggily. "Huh, what... Oh, Buffy! You're up!" He shot up and hugged her in his enthusiasm.

"Ow! Ow! Knee! Knee!" exclaimed Buffy.

"Oh, sorry about that," Giles said sheepishly. "How are you feeling?"

"Still sore in too many places, but ready to start the day."

Giles went into the kitchen to prepare some tea for them all, in particular for Buffy, who probably needed it the most. As he turned on the stove he asked, "So what happened last night?"

Buffy took in a deep breath. "Well, I got a tip from Willy the Snitch." She saw their jaws drop in surprise. "Yeah, he's working for his cousin at a bar," she said. "Anyway, I got a tip that a warehouse was being used by weird types and I went to check it out. That's when I felt something. I felt it on the plane when we were getting ready to land."

"You felt something when you arrived?" Giles asked.

"Well, it was actually more like feeling... a reaction. Yeah, that's it. It was more like a reaction, a reaction to my presence."

"Like a mystical feedback," Giles replied. "Interesting..."

"Interesting?" Buffy inquired. "Giles, whatever it was, it wasn't 'interesting'. I could tell you what this thing thought of me: it _hated _me." Giles and Willow looked at Buffy in a subdued surprise.

Continuing she said, "Well, anyway, I brought out my scythe and soon as I turned the corner it met with some kind of sword. There was this blast and we both flew back. We started fighting in the warehouse and I got a good look at the figure through the moonlight. It was a woman sporting a funky metal glove."

"Like the Glove of Myhnegon?" Willow asked. They had all remembered Gwendolyn Post, a.k.a. the now-dead evil ex-Watcher, and her little excursion into Sunnydale to find said glove. The idea of another one out there gave her disturbed her.

"Well, it looked like it," said Buffy. "But it didn't sport any lightning bolts coming at me head on. More like a retractable sword."

"Retractable sword?" Giles said, as if trying to recall something.

"Yeah. Know anything about it, Giles?" Buffy asked.

"I believe I heard about something like that once before," he responded as he was searching through his books. ""Ugh, this is so frustrating. If the Council's library was still intact we might be able to find some reference to it."

"Do you think it could be our killer?" asked Willow.

"Could be," replied Buffy. "Then again, it could be the ubiquitous, super-powered lackey. You know how the Big Bads always seem to have one lying around."

"Well, can you tell us anything else about her?" Giles asked after giving up on his texts.

Buffy continued. "Only that she was strong. Or at least the glove was. And she fought like delivering pain wasn't just a side hobby. We tumbled out of the second floor window. She landed in the water, but I couldn't see her. I decided to head back in the get my stuff and get a quick look around before coming home."

"Well, maybe we'll have better luck than you had last night. I wanted to go talk to the president of the Wicca group those twins were in. Her address is listed in the student directory. I figured since the cops probably got to her already, we could avoid any problems," said Willow.

"Let me get dressed and we'll head over there," Buffy said. "I want to start walking on this knee before I head out again." Her stomach growled as she stood. "Right after some food."

**_  
9:10 am, Wednesday - 11th Precinct_**

Sara Pezzini arrived at work with sunglasses over her eyes. She had awakened around 7:20 am from her somewhat sound slumber on the floor of her apartment. Taking a look in the mirror she had hoped that a cold shower and a raw steak to the face would alleviate any swelling and bruising. They did, if only a little. Luckily, she found her wrist was only sprained; it still hurt like hell. She found some spare sports tape for it and wound up the busted wrist. The Witchblade hadn't made much progress in healing her. Normally it would have been much quicker, but to her it seemed to be taking its sweet time in repairing her. She wondered, as she got ready, if it just felt like acting that way.

She knew Jake and Danny would ask about the injuries; that was a given. She was just hoping Dante wasn't around. She knew what to expect if he was: he'd notice her wounds and make some smart-ass remark and she'd stuff down trying _not_ to hit him, thus raising her blood pressure and thereby making her headache even worse.

She saw Danny and Jake sitting near Danny's desk going over some of case files. She quickly made it over to her desk and sat down. Taking off her sunglasses, Sara opened her drawer discreetly, hoping they wouldn't notice for a couple of minutes.

"Pez, what the hell happened?" Jake asked. _So much for that notion_.

Sara winced. "Fell off my bike last night." She had rehearsed that six-word answer on her way to the precinct. It had sounded better in her head.

"Fell off your bike, huh?" asked Danny, unconvinced.

"Yeah," she replied, giving Danny her patented 'look'. Danny knew that look; it was the look that said it was best to move on to another subject.

Understanding she didn't want to talk about what _really_ happened, he merely said, "Oookaay... Anyway, me and Jake been going over these files. We compiled a list of possible victims from NYU, SUNY, you name it. The colleges are easy since the clubs there have e-mail lists of members. Outside of the schools is a different story; people don't just advertise about being a witch and all. But we got a few hits. We're still perusing the stuff, but it's going to take some time. Want to help?"

"Nah, I want to check out the president of the club over at NYU; she might have gone home last night," said Sara. Sara got her keys ad got up from her desk, determined to get out of the building. She didn't want, nor need, any more questions about last night. There was also a second reason for her rush: she wanted to get to a local drugstore to pick up some aspirin.

"Pez, you need any help on this one?" Jake asked.

"Nope."

"Well, make sure you get yourself checked out, okay? Don't need you having a closed head injury or anything," Jake said.

"Got it, McCartey," Sara said rushing out.

"Wait, Pez!" Danny said rushing up to her.

"What is it?" she said in an annoyed voice.

"Sara, are you all right?"

"Look, I'm fine. I just fell off my bike," she replied.

"If you're in some sort of trouble..."

"Danny, don't worry about it, alright? Look, I've got to get the Carlson place. I'll see you later, OK?" she said before hurrying out. 

Danny just watched her leave, feeling helpless. She was always so guarded. Walking back to his desk he looked at Jake, who looked back at him with concern in his eyes. With a sigh, they turned back to their work.

_**  
9:15 am, Wednesday – **__**Apartment Building of Dana Carlson**_

After a light breakfast Buffy, Willow, and Giles made it over to Dana's apartment building. It was an old building, somewhat run-down. Still, it had charm. Buffy pressed the buzzer, hoping the girl was in.

"Who is it?" a voice answered curtly.

"Um, Dana? Hi, you don't know me, but my friends and I wanted to talk to you about something," Buffy said.

"Go away," the voice said.

"Look, we know what's going on and we need your help. We just want to ask you some questions and then we'll be on our way," Buffy replied.

"You cops?" the voice asked.

"No," Buffy said.

"Then go away."

Buffy was defeated. She could have just pummeled her way up there, but she wanted to be as diplomatic as possible. Just when she had given up, Willow spoke on the intercom.

"Look, Dana. I know what's been happening. I'm a practitioner too and we just want to help. Your friends were more than friends to you; they were sisters. I know what it's like to lose a good friend all too well, and I know you're hurting. But with your help, we might be able to catch this guy. We just want to talk for a little while. What do you say?"

After a few seconds of silence that seemed like an eternity, the door buzzed and unlocked.

"Thanks, Will," Buffy said, as they headed in.

They made it up to the apartment and knocked on the door. "She placed some wards on the place. Pretty good ones, too," Willow said, impressed. The door opened and Dana stood there, her eyes showing signs of crying.

"Hey, Dana," Buffy said.

"Hey," was all Dana replied. "Come on in."

All three of them made their way in. As Willow entered, Dana sensed her power, flowing with goodness. "Wow, that's some power you've got there," she said. Willow just smiled. Giles, in his polite British way, said, "Thank you for having us, Ms. Carlson. We know this is a difficult time for you."

"Kyrie and Kelly were my some of my best friends. I want this guy found," she said angrily.

"Did they mention anyone following them, anyone weird?" Buffy asked.

"No. If someone was they never mentioned it. But they did tell me something strange a few days ago. They said they both felt something, something powerful and evil. They also said that they saw glimpses of it, like parts of a movie trailer in their heads. Being as talented and powerful as they were I didn't deny it, but I never felt it myself. Now I wish I had."

"Did they say anything about this evil, any clue as what it is?" Willow asked.

"They said something about 'the power of five', about it bringing something dark and evil into the world. That 'the strength of five' would soon show itself and that I'd best prepare for it. I didn't tell the others because I didn't want to start a panic, in case the twins were mistaken. I've been researching since last night after getting materials for my wards, but I've come up with nothing."

"Five could be anything," said Willow. "Five people, five items, five... hearts."

"Five hearts? I didn't know the details of the murder. I just went to get the materials for my wards," Dana said. "That explains that murder on Monday!"

"Then there was Ms. Valakesh a few weeks ago, and now the twins. One more and the big evil is going to make its way here," said Buffy.

"We've got to find this person quickly," said Giles. "They might have already chosen their next victim."

"How are we going to find him, Giles? We'd have to locate every living, powerful witch in New York. And Dana's just number one on that list,"said Buffy.

"We could do a locator spell, but I would have to get the materials," Willow said. She would already have some of her stuff with her, but her supply had been dwindled because of Sunnydale's demise. Add to that the fact that sage looked a lot like marijuana and you weren't likely to get far in an airport.

"Well, we'll have to work quickly then and try and find the most likely targets," said Giles. "Ms. Carlson, keep yourself in this room and don't go out tonight. Strengthen the wards if need be, but be ready to leave if they get past them." Dana just nodded.

As Buffy and Giles left the apartment, Willow touched Dana's arm and said, "Thanks a lot, Dana." Catching up with Buffy and Giles, they started talking about what their next move would be.

_**  
9:31 am, Wednesday – Apartment Building of Dana Carlson**_

Sara had arrived at the building and proceeded to go up to Dana's apartment. She had made her way in by one of the tenants who was on his way out. Walking up the steps she was glad the aspirin had kicked in when it did as her head was aching again, like a brass section was rehearsing 'Ride of the Valkyries' in her cranium. Focusing on the pain, she faintly heard a group of people talking. As she ascended the steps, Sara felt the same sensation she had felt last night, and just as strong. She stopped and looked. There at the top of the steps she caught sight of the last person she expected to see.

"You!" the young woman yelled.

"You!" Sara exclaimed.

The Witchblade came to life.


	10. Chapter X

Giles had about a second to register what was going on before the woman wielding the mysterious gauntlet ran up toward them. Buffy made a move as well but Giles, in reflex mode, held her back and yelled, "Wait! Stop!"

"Giles, she's the one who attacked me last night!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Wrong, Blondie. You attacked me."

"Ladies, I'm sure we can find a rational explanation for everything." Giles was trying his best to be diplomatic.

"Yeah," Buffy said. "Like her being evil!" Buffy was trying to go after the older woman and Giles kept himself in front of her to keep her back.

"Buffy, please!" Giles said.

"Who are you people?" the woman asked as the glove reverted back to a simple bracelet.

"Who are we? Who are _you_?" Buffy challenged.

"Let me put this another way," the woman said. As she reached into her jacket, the Scoobies tensed for a moment, not knowing what to expect. Looking at it briefly, they realized it wasn't a weapon, which made them all relieved... for a split-second. What the woman _did_ bring out was a leather holder. She flipped it up and said, "Detective Sara Pezzini, NYPD." Putting it back in her jacket she asked, "Now, who are you people?"

Needless to say, the Scoobies were shocked. "A cop? Buffy, you assaulted a cop?!" Willow asked anxiously.

"I didn't know! It wasn't like she was in the mood to talk."

"You're all under arrest," Sara said as she brought out her handcuffs.

"Detective, please," Giles said. "If you'll just hear us out, we'll show you we pose no danger."

Sara pondered this for a moment. She took note of the guy with the glasses. _The Brit from the health-food store_. True to stereotype, _he_ was trying to be the rational one. The other girl, the redhead, just seemed to look flummoxed and worried. They hadn't _really_ done any harm just yet... well, not all of them. But if they had information on who was doing this, it might have been what she needed to crack this case wide open.

"Alright," Sara said, putting her cuffs back. "You got three minutes to convince me why I shouldn't haul you in. And keep your dog on a leash."

Buffy looked at her ready to put her fist into her face and started to make a move toward the cop.

Giles, holding her back, took note of the area and said, "Perhaps we should move to a less conspicuous area of the building."

"Fine," said Sara. "But try anything funny..."

They all walked down toward the lobby and into the empty game room, where the Scoobies took seats. Sara and Giles were the only ones who decided to stand.

"I believe we're after the same thing, Detective," Giles started out.

"Enlighten me," Sara interrupted.

"The killer," Giles continued. "We're after the witch-killer." Sara had to admit she was a bit surprised, though she knew she shouldn't have been. The warehouse fight, and now, being in the same apartment building that was home to a friend of the last two victims; it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they knew what was going on.

"We know that the killer or killers are close to finishing whatever they're planning. We also know that there's probably going to be another victim very soon."

"Which doesn't answer my last question," Sara said. "Who are you people?"

"My name is Rupert Giles. This is Willow Rosenberg." Willow smiled sheepishly at her name and nervously waved. "I believe you've already met Buffy Summers." The way Giles said it indicated that he wasn't too happy with the situation. Then again, who would be?

"We... investigate things pertaining to the occult and supernatural," Giles continued. "We were sent here to New York on a tip from some associates." Buffy had to admit the last part of that sounded like a plausible lie.

"And what associates would that be?" asked Sara, unconvinced. _So much for the lie_, Buffy thought.

"Um... I'm not at liberty to say," Giles said, searching for something else to talk about.

"So you're private investigators, huh? I suppose you have a license," Sara said.

Willow was getting slightly nervous. "Well, we... don't exactly have, per se... a, a license."

"Is that a fact?" Sara responded unsurprised. "Well, operating in New York without a license, interfering with a police investigation, assaulting an officer of the law. See, now's the part where I start arresting you," she said taking out her handcuffs again.

"Look, Detective, we are telling you what we can at the moment," Giles explained.

"Then I suggest you tell me a lot more than that! Your story doesn't explain why Blondie over there was packing the kind of punch she was last night, nor does it explain that weapon she was using."

It was then Buffy who chose to speak up. "What about you, huh? Why does a detective sport something like that?" she asked, pointing at Sara's deceptively simple bracelet.

Sara smiled wryly. "Badge. Cop. I don't have to explain anything." Normally, Sara hated pulling a stunt like that. But she was running high on emotion, and the fact that the blonde had beaten her last night, and she was going to play any card she could.

Buffy was livid. She hated being at the mercy of someone else, cops in particular. She always had bad run-ins with them and they never gave her even an inch.

Giles saw Buffy's expression and intervened. He decided it was time to lay it all on the table. It was either that, or spend the night in jail. "Alright Detective, we'll tell you. But it mustn't leave this room."

"Why am I not surprised?" She sighed loudly and replied, "I can't make any guarantees."

Giles reluctantly settled with that. "This may be hard to explain. Um, Buffy here is a Slayer, chosen to fight the forces of darkness: vampires, demons, and such. With that comes the strength and skill to do so. We came to New York because she had a dream of something ominous in the city. You can check with the airport; we only arrived two days ago."

"Plenty of time to kill the last three victims," Sara mentioned.

"But not to kill Ms. Valakesh. Besides, we arrived at around 9:00 am on Monday. Ms. Devereaux had been discovered by then, correct?"

Sara had to admit she was just grasping at straws. She just wanted something, anything, to get a hold of. "Yeah, around 5:45 am."

"You don't seem to be shocked that I mentioned vampires and demons," Giles said.

"Let's just say I've met some 'colorful' people in this town."

"Fair enough. Detective, we can help in this situation," Giles said. "We've had much experience, and we'll make sure to stay clear out of your way. As a matter of fact, we'll share all of the information we have. But we must be involved."

Sara was contemplating the offer. She could have just threatened to haul them to jail in return for the info. If they ran, an APB would make it tough for them to operate. But she also knew that these people were probably telling the truth. A super-powered girl who fought evil? She couldn't even _make_ that one up... and she did that for a living. Sara finally decided it was better to have these people working with her, so she could keep an eye on them, instead of out there and possibly messing up her investigation.

"Fine," she said. "But if you screw up in any way, shape, or form, or try to put one past me, the only thing you'll be looking into is the peeling paint on a jail cell, got it?"

"We understand perfectly, Detective," replied Giles. "And as a show of good faith, I'll share this with you: the killer is looking for a fifth heart. We talked to Ms. Carlson and she mentioned the murdered twins had told her about a 'power of five' that was bringing evil to New York. We believe that five hearts are necessary for what the killer wants, meaning the next victim will be the last one."

"Got any idea who it is?" Sara asked.

"No, not yet," Willow said. "But I'll be working on a locator spell to find the potential targets." Sara looked at her, confused. "I'm a witch," Willow replied, seeing Sara's puzzled stare.

"You sure you want to be New York right now?" Sara asked. "Might not be safe for you."

"Don't worry. I've got a Slayer and a Watcher looking out for me. I'll be fine," Willow said proudly.

"Watcher?"

Giles just brushed it off saying, "Long story."

"They train Slayers," Willow answered.

"Apparently not that long," he responded. He had hoped his job description required a little more, well, description.

"You train Slayers, huh? I'm thinking Blondie over there needs a little more work." Sara was deliberately trying to bait Buffy. And the bad part was that it was working.

Buffy finally stood up from her chair and said sternly, "The name's Buffy. Not Blondie, not Bunny, not Buddy. _Buffy_."

"Whatever," said Sara. "Here's my card, Mr. Giles. Call me when you have more information. I'm also going to need a way to contact you if I have questions."

"Of course, Detective." Taking out a slip of paper, Giles wrote down his cell phone number and the address of the building they were in. "We're also staying at this location, if you need to stop by."

"I probably will," said Sara as she pocketed the info.

As Sara started up the stairs to interview Dana, Buffy took note and interrupted her stride. "Hey, we already talked to Dana."

"I know," said Sara. "Hence the reason I'm going to interview her myself. I'm a cop. God knows what you rookies might have missed." Sara then continued on her way.

As Sara left, Buffy took the 'rookie' comment as best she could and confronted Giles on what he had just done. To say she was incensed was putting it lightly. "Giles, please explain to me why you just showed all of our cards, including our location and contact info, to a possibly evil cop with a more-than-evil trinket."

"Buffy, we had no choice in the matter. It was either tell her about what we're doing here or go to jail. Or worse. I don't like negotiating from a position of weakness either, but New York is very different territory for us. More than likely people aren't going to turn a blind eye to what's going on, especially the police. I also gave her our contact information to disarm her, since she already has some suspicions about us. Being up front about things might make her think twice about our involvement, especially since she seems to have dealt with situations somewhat similar to our own."

"He's got a point, Buffy." Willow had to agree this was the best option. Having the cops on them wasn't going to make finding this guy any easier. And if Sara wasn't evil, she might be useful against anything they encountered.

"Fine, but before our next little 'soirée', I at least want to know more about that glove," Buffy said.

"Gauntlet," Giles corrected.

"Whatever."

Sara walked up the apartment, taking a moment before knocking the door. She was more than shocked at what she'd just done. She'd just given a group of civilians, possibly dangerous and unstable ones at that, almost carte blanche to participate in a police matter. If they screwed up or got hurt or, worse yet, hurt somebody else, Sara's head would be on a platter. Her career in law enforcement would have been reduced to school bus stops, if that. _I sure hope you know what you're doing, Pezzini_, she thought. Pushing aside that thought, she knocked on the door.


	11. Chapter XI

_**6:43 pm, Wednesday – Slayer Base HQ**_

The Scoobies had gotten back to the apartment in the evening, after they had pretty much worn themselves out trying to find the ingredients _and_ getting information about the gauntlet. Getting the former was the easy part; getting the latter proved to be impossible. Some of Robin's contacts had either been not in the know, or some just played dumb and kept their mouths shut about it, as if talking about the thing would bring its wrath on them. Buffy had to wonder whether the reason they were quiet was the gauntlet, or the person wearing it. Needless to say, Buffy's faith in Giles' bargain was already starting to diminish. 'Diminish' wasn't really the right word; 'plummet' was more like it.

Buffy was frustrated. Not only did she have to contend with a big, ominous evil ready to make its debut, she also had to deal with the fact that a possibly-evil cop with a most-assuredly evil gauntlet was making them jump through hoops just to avoid jail-time. Add to that the fact that she had yet to gather any of the new Slayers and help them and Buffy felt she was going to be crushed under the weight of all of her problems. She briefly longed for the days of Sunnydale; it was a rotting cesspool of death, destruction, and darkness, but at least it was her cesspool. Now she was in somebody else's cesspool and had to play by their rules.

She wanted to take a brief nap before a patrol/reconnaissance mission, to abate the headache she was having from all of the stress. In the meantime, Giles would try and find more on the gauntlet and Willow would work on the spell to find the potential victims. She had hoped that by the time she woke up they had gotten further on both subjects. But while Willow was close to completing her spell, Giles still had little information on the gauntlet or the woman wearing it.

It was around 8:30 when Buffy left and Giles, tired from the day's work, decided he was going to be the one taking a brief nap. As soon as he drifted to sleep, Willow picked up her cell phone and went outside of the room. Dialing, she was hoping that her decision to do what she was planning was the right one.

"Hello?" the voice on the other side said.

"Wesley? It's Willow."

"Willow, how nice to hear a friendly voice. Is everything all right in New York?"

"No, unfortunately. Things have gotten a little hectic, and we're really stressed. Actually Wes, we need some help. We ran into something and don't have much info on it 'cause of our limited resources. Giles says he heard something about it a long time ago but doesn't remember it. And the Council's current collection hasn't been helpful. I wanted you to check it out for me."

"Of course, Willow. But I have to ask: why didn't Mr. Giles call himself?"

"Well, it's uh... kind of complicated... well, you see..."

"He doesn't trust us."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"I assumed something like this would happen. Our association with Wolfram & Hart probably has many suspecting our loyalties."

"Well, it does kind of put you in the 'questionable' column of the allies list. But I know you guys mean well, and we really need this info."

"I'll do what I can, Willow. So, what am I working with?" Wes said, taking out a pen and paper.

"A gauntlet. Reverts back into a bracelet and can extend a sword. Felt pretty evil, too. It's being worn by a female cop whom Buffy had a recent... encounter with."

"An encounter?" Wesley said, understanding fully well what that meant. "Huh. Well...gauntlet, bracelet, sword... Okay, I'll have what information I can gather by about 12:30 EST."

"Thanks, Wes."

"No problem, Willow."

Willow hung up and felt relieved. Oh sure, Giles and Buffy would be upset to know that she had used Wolfram & Hart's resources to aid them, but they were running out of time and options. All of their energies needed to go into finding the killer. The gauntlet was an important issue, but it was a side one compared what they were dealing with. She just wanted to make sure they didn't have to worry about the thing at a critical moment. And Angel and his crew were in the best position to help them determine that.

She hoped.

_**  
11:02 pm, Wednesday – Sara Pezzini's apartment**_

Sara had called it a night after briefing her partners and the captain on what she learned from Dana Carlson. She conveniently left out the part of the Brit and the blonde from the health-food store, accompanied by a red-headed witch, showing up at the apartment minutes before her. She also left out the part where she made an arrangement with them on sharing information.

She hoped the morning wouldn't bring about the fifth victim. It was a given that if it happened, something worse was soon going to be on the way, something that might make New York a bloodbath. The city had been through enough in recent years; its people didn't need to be in terror of a serial killer trying to bring evil to their door.

Sara was also worried about her new 'allies'. The blonde was a Slayer, they said, some kind of superhero designed to kill vampires and stuff. She wondered if that power had any ill psychological effects, like the Witchblade. If that made the girl unstable or out of control in any way, that would introduce a ticking time-bomb to an already tense situation.

Sara decided to put those thoughts to rest for the night. She already had a headache to complement to her injuries and wanted the night's sleep to be as pleasant as possible. She took some pain-relievers and set about for a night on the couch, by the phone in case something happened. Which, she hoped, nothing would.

_**  
12:33 am, Thursday – Slayer Base HQ**_

Willow waited for Wesley to call her with information. Luckily, Buffy was out still on patrol and Giles went to fetch food at the local Chinese food place for the long night's work. She wanted to make sure they weren't around when she got the call. Pacing back and forth she finally stopped when her cell phone rang.

"Wes?"

"It's me. I believe I have some information on your gauntlet. I checked with all of the books we have and there's only one that matches that description."

"What is it?" asked Willow, who had a notepad and pen ready.

"A metal gauntlet dubbed the 'Witchblade', an ancient weapon of mysterious origins but used for various purposes. Thought to be myth, it can only be worn by women. Legend has it that Joan of Arc and Boudicca wore it at one time or another. It was also said to be able to take the form of a bracelet or various other pieces of jewelry, aside from producing a sword, though what else it's capable of remains a mystery. Nothing else is known about it."

"I think that's our gauntlet," said Willow.

"Willow, it's speculated that this gauntlet was destroyed over a thousand years ago. Frankly, I'm surprised that such a weapon would go unnoticed by Joan of Arc's contemporaries if it had actually existed. Most consider it to be a myth."

"Well, no one _really_ knows about the Slayer, and a lot consider her a myth."

"Good point," Wesley acceded.

"Thanks a lot, Wes. I'll relay the information to Buffy and Giles. Tell Angel I said 'hi'."

"I will. Be careful out there, Willow."

Buffy had returned from her patrol fifteen minutes after Wesley's call and Giles came in five minutes later with Chinese takeout. Willow was nervous. She was going to tell them that she got the information on the gauntlet, but went behind their backs to do it. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and these were desperate times.

"Hey, guys. I found out about our mysterious gauntlet," Willow said.

"Really? How? Where?" Giles asked.

"Well, I made some inquiries and just got the info a few minutes ago."

Giles was now curious. "I thought all of Robin's contacts had no information on it."

"Well, I... didn't exactly go through Robin's contacts."

Buffy furrowed her brow. "So, who was the contact?" she asked.

Willow had been readying herself for that question. Wincing, she said, "Wesley".

"What?!" exclaimed Buffy.

"Buffy, I called Wesley and he gave me the info."

To say Giles was disappointed was an understatement. He was making that clucking sound with his tongue, which was never a good sign. "Willow, I thought we agreed that Wolfram & Hart couldn't be trusted. You may have just made a bad situation worse."

Willow was now the one who was disappointed. She was getting irritated at the fact that some of her closest friends questioned her judgment. Okay, so they did sometimes when the occasion called for it, i.e. her little mystical addiction. But this time was different. They needed answers and she got them. They disliked the methods, but discounting something on account of 'disliking' it wasn't an option.

"Hey!" she yelled. "We've been searching on this thing the entire day. We've got a killer out there hunting witches and a cop sporting a funky glove. We wanted the answer to one and we got it. I did it because we need to put everything we have into finding this witch-killer. They had the resources, they had the means, and I used them. And I'm not sorry I did it. So, are we going to waste time arguing, or are we going to try and find this killer?" Giles started to concede after Willow's tirade.

Tensions were running high. They all knew it, but tried to keep a lid on them. They only knew slightly more than they did yesterday on the killer and what they knew yesterday wasn't very much. Buffy also knew that Willow was taking these murders personally. She herself acted the same way when The First was hunting potential Slayers. She also saw that Willow had on what she called 'resolve face'. It was the face she made when she stuck to something, despite all opposition. No one could talk her out of it even if they tried. Giles knew the face, too. Sighing, she said, "Okay, Will, we understand why you did it. Let's just try and be careful about what info we share with Wolfram & Hart." Changing the subject, she asked, "So, what is our least-favorite cop carrying?"

Willow brought out her pad. "It's something called the 'Witchblade'. It's only worn by women and thought to have been worn by Joan of Arc. Other than that there's really no more info."

"Ah, yes!" Giles said. "I knew I had read something about it. It was supposed to endow the wearer with some abilities, though I don't know which kind."

"Yeah, like being able to hit small blondes," Buffy said, rubbing her nearly-healed swollen eye.

"That's the best I could come up with. I don't think we should worry about it for now."

"I agree," said Giles. "Let's get back to focusing on stopping this killer."

"I'm going out again for a few more hours, see if I can dredge up any new info," said Buffy.

And so began yet another night of red eyes, takeout, slayage, and copious amounts of caffeine.


	12. Chapter XII

**Majin Gojira:** Actually, doing some research I found out that the Witchblade (according to the show) can heal, as well as retard injury in critical situations. In that case, Sara would still be able to heal quite quickly. As to whether or not she would fair better than Buffy is up for debate. By their next encounter in Chapter IX, I expected them to still be in considerable, if not manageable, pain.

_I wanted to thank everyone for reading my story. Again, the fact you guys took time out to do so is much obliged.__**

* * *

**_

_**7:55 am, Thursday – 11th Precinct**_

Sara had arrived at the precinct only slightly relieved that there was no incident last night. It was only slightly relieving because no murder last night or this morning meant the killer might have been planning on tonight. It was also slightly disturbing, since it meant that whoever was doing this didn't see the police as a threat. That part just made things worse.

"Morning, Pez," said Jake, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Danny and I are going to try and search for the most likely targets. We're sending a black-and-white over near Ms. Carlson's place, just in case."

"Thanks, Jake. Any new tips on the case?"

"Nope. Dante's getting pretty frustrated. No leads, no tips. It's like this person just swept in and started owning the place."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. Let's just do the best we can to stop him before he gets the fifth heart."

"You don't believe in this 'spell' stuff, do you?"

Sara knew more about supernatural things than she ever let on, but for the sake of argument, she gave the best explanation she could. "I just want to stop this guy from butchering someone else, spell or not."

After a few seconds of silence, Sara decided she would check up on her new 'acquaintances'. "Jake, I'm going to check out some informants, see if anyone can shed some light on things."

"You want me along, Pez?"

"Nah. Besides, these aren't the types that like too many cops around if you catch my drift."

"Got it," Jake said dejectedly. "I'll call if anything comes up."

"Thanks, Jake." As Sara ran off, Jake looked at her with a longing. He had always felt like she kept he and Danny out of her life as much as possible, as if it was more than enough to have them work with her. It wasn't like she hated them; it was more like she saw them as an inconvenience, something that she was forced to deal with. Sure they got along and hung out a couple of times, but they never really connected. 'Odd-men out' was given a new meaning when it came to them.

Sara had seen Jake's face before she left. She knew both Danny and he had tried to connect with her as friends, but she kept them at arm's length. Her life as it was now didn't permit close relationships. Or that's what she told herself every day. Her dad died, her friends died, even Danny died, though he never knew it. She didn't want her actions, especially if they concerned the Witchblade, to be the death of the people she cared about the most. And if Jake had felt anything toward her other than a professional relationship, that would make things even harder. _What if...?_

"No, Sara. You don't need to be thinking about this right now," she said to herself. "Too much at stake." After dialing the number to get Rupert Giles' location, she slipped on her helmet, started her motorcycle, and sped away.

_**  
8:20 am, Thursday – Slayer Base HQ**_

Willow had been up for about fifteen minutes. Sipping the steaming hot cup of coffee, she was sticking pins on a map of New York, calculating the best bets for the killer to strike. Well, 'calculating' was misleading. She was, in fact, using the time-honored tradition of 'best guess' and using it to its fullest.

Giles had already been up. He had made the coffee for everyone, but some, like him, needed it more than others. Buffy was still asleep from last night's patrol. She hadn't come up with any new information and time was running out. The killer was planning something and New York City would be the first victim if this person succeeded. Hopefully, Detective Pezzini would have something new for them. She had called earlier and was coming over, no doubt to grill them on their progress. He hoped Buffy would stay asleep for awhile. That way, she and Detective Pezzini wouldn't have to see each other and they wouldn't make Giles regret that Sunnydale didn't swallow him whole.

"So, when is Detective Pezzini getting here?" Willow asked.

"She should be arriving soon. Hopefully, she'll share some more information with us, but I'm betting she only wants to grill us on what _we_ know."

"I just hope Buffy stays asleep."

"Me too," replied Giles, sipping his cup. "No need to bring charges of assault on a police officer to our doorstep."

"You know she hates this arrangement, us showing our cards while all we know is that the detective has a weird, funky gauntlet."

'I know she doesn't like it, Willow," Giles said. "But we have to do this for the good of the mission, despite whether or not Buffy likes it. Then again, that explanation has gotten me in trouble before."

"Right. The 'Spike' issue." Willow hesitated, but then spoke. "I know why you did it, Giles... but I still have to ask."

"I genuinely thought Spike would be a danger to us. But it wasn't just that." Giles took in a deep breath before talking. Willow knew that Giles only got like this when he had something kind of personal to say.

"Buffy has grown so much over the years. It's like watching a daughter blossom. But the side effect of watching her come into her own was watching her not need me anymore. I know we've had this conversation before, Willow, but now she really has become an independent creature. When I left before, I took solace in the fact that the Council still needed me. But with the Council being, well, myself and a few others scattered about, my role seemed diminished. I truly thought there was a danger in Spike, but I also wanted to prove to myself that I was still useful. Now Buffy and I seem to be indifferent to each other at best."

"But it isn't just you, Giles. In a way, we all kind of let her down. I mean, we tossed her out of the house at a critical moment. Sure, things happened and we were all emotional at the time, but I think she's been distant lately because of it."

"But, you didn't betray her trust," Giles said. "You disagreed and overruled her. I _intentionally_ misled her with the Spike fiasco. A person she supposedly trusted. It'll take some time to rebuild that trust."

"Still, she'll get over it," Willow said. But she knew that trying to get Giles to of this mode was impossible. One, because he could be stubborn, and two, because he was right. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't materialize. She sat in her chair in silence, looking down at the floor, hoping the tension would break.

"Well, shall we get to the research?" Giles said.

"Yeah," Willow said, quickly. Anything to get their minds off of the subject.

Little did both of them realize that a wide-awake Buffy was listening in from her room by the door. She realized she had been giving Giles the cold shoulder lately, but what he did still made her feel like he wasn't giving her enough credit. Sure he loved her idea of the multiple-Slayer gig, but she also knew that he would resort to questionable actions if he felt they were justified. But she was a Slayer; she had to do things she thought was right also.

The Scoobies and the at-the-time Potentials didn't understand that concept when she wanted to go back to the winery. But at the time, she figured out what most people never did. As a matter of fact, only Spike, Angel, and especially Riley probably had an idea of what she was going through. She had learned it a while ago, with Riley and the Initiative, and from her own death. She had learned that to lead, you had to be willing to make sacrifices. You had to be willing to put other people at Death's door in order to accomplish a mission. If she had tried to save everyone, they would have all died. If some of them had to perish in order to let the rest succeed, even if Buffy herself had to die, then she would have done it the same way. Riley had once told her, back when they were still together, that the generals of the Allied Forces had to decide to send to invade Normandy knowing that the Germans would kill many of them. He said it was hard for them to do, but it was necessary to save the world. because if they hadn't, World War II would have turned out very differently and millions more would have suffered. If Buffy had known that a few years later she would be making the same gamble with young girls' lives, she would have tried to retire for real.

At that moment, Buffy started to weep. She knew that her duties would never be over until she died... again. The burden was reduced, but now she had to contend with being the leader of an entire global army of young girls with extraordinary responsibilities thrust upon them. Girls whose lives would never be the same, and a leader willing to put them in harm's way. Gathering herself, she wiped the tears from her eyes and decided to shower and get ready. The questionable cop with the glorified accessory was coming over and there was absolutely no way she was going to be seen like this in front of her.

Buffy exited her room trying to look as haggard as possible, so no one would know she was listening in. She greeted Giles and Willow on her way to the bathroom, who returned her greeting with their own. She took a short but soothing hot shower and felt for a few moments that the last couple of days were just a dream. But she knew they weren't and quickly exited the bathroom with her robe on and went into her room to get dressed. It was then when she heard the buzzer ring.

Giles had gone to answer it, knowing who it was. Pressing the button he replied, "Detective Pezzini?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Good. I'll buzz you in."

Sara had been surprised when she had been let into a building with an abandoned lobby. The building was a little old, but could have been functional with the right amount of work done to it. The place looked like it was a hotel in its former life, but everything was bare. There was nothing, absolutely _nothing_, except some stairs leading upward. _Okay, a little weird_, she thought. Brushing aside the thought, she went upstairs to the room Rupert Giles had told her about.

"Who's coming, Giles?" Buffy asked, fully clothed and already knowing the visiting party.

"Detective Pezzini. I know you don't like her, but could you at least try to be civil for now? No assaulting."

"For now," Buffy replied. Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" asked Giles.

"It's me, Detective Pezzini."

After undoing the lock and opening the door, they were greeted by a look of confusion. "You knew I was coming up. Why'd you ask who I was?"

"Well, Detective, when you're in our line of business you tend to be extra cautious," Giles replied. He stood there, silent at the detective.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked.

"No."

She looked at him strangely and then realized what he was doing. "Right," she replied. Taking the initiative she walked in, taking in the scattered boxes of pizza and takeout. She noticed he seemed to ease a little after she had done so.

"Would you like any coffee?" Giles asked.

"No. I just want to know if you have any info," Sara replied.

"Direct, aren't you?" said Buffy sarcastically.

"Comes with the job."

"Well, Detective, we've been going over the possibilities all night and Willow has made some progress on where the killer could strike. Other than that, we don't have much," Giles replied.

"So you guys got 'possibilities', huh?" Sara was, suffice it to say, unimpressed. They could tell it in her voice. "Mr. Giles, I know a bunch of folks over at the precinct who could come up with 'possibilities'. I've met a profiler who came up with 'possibilities'. And all anyone seems to have are 'possibilities'. What I need is something I can work with. What I need is something I can go investigate and apprehend. Or at least follow up on."

"We're doing the best we can, Ms. Pezzini, but unfortunately we're working with limited resources."

"Aren't you guys supposed to be experts at this stuff?"

Giles was becoming agitated now, and Willow knew it. It was one thing to be disappointed with a lack of results. But questioning his expertise and experience was something completely different. He answered sternly, "Detective Pezzini, recent events have reduced our research capabilities. We are doing the best we can with what we have. If that is not enough, then I suggest you arrest us now and be done with it."

Sara saw where her attitude was getting her and backed off. "Okay, look, I want this guy gone as much as you, probably even more. It's just that things are starting to spiral. If things get any worse, we could have a panic on our hands on top of whatever 'evil thing' is coming."

"We're going to research everything we can today, Detective. You could help us. Buffy was planning on checking out some other possible sources. If we all divide up the work, we might find out more about the killer or the next victim."

Buffy was not pleased _at all_... and she voiced it. "Giles, are you sure? Some of these 'sources' may be a little out of her league."

"Huh," Sara huffed. "You sure weren't." Though technically Sara had lost the fight they had been in, she wasn't about to give any ground to the girl, not by a long shot.

"How's the wrist?" Buffy shot back.

"Fine. How's the knee?"

"Peachy. Who knew a woman with the 'Witchblade' could deliver such a wimpy kick?" Buffy said. She intentionally used the name of Detective Pezzini's weapon to throw her off. If they were going to go on a power struggle, she at least wanted to show the detective that they still had some tricks up their sleeve.

"Buffy!" Willow exclaimed.

"Where did you hear that name?" Sara asked. She was shocked at the notion that someone else knew what she had on her, especially since they didn't have a clue about it when they first met.

"We've got our sources. It's a shame you don't."

"Ladies, please!" Giles interrupted. "For right now we're on the same side. Can we at least try and act like it? Detective Pezzini, would you be willing to help us out?"

Sara thought about it for a moment. If they knew of things and places she didn't, the information gathered could possibly make all the difference. The only drawback was working with 'Blondie'. Seeing the merits of the plan, though, she caved in. "Sure. Just let me call the precinct and we'll get started."

As Sara exited the room to make the call, Giles approached Buffy. She knew he was upset, but she made a tactical decision. Now Detective Pezzini would know they weren't at her mercy. Okay, so they only got a name and one or two capabilities, but she didn't know that. And that would make her more cautious.

"Buffy, was there really a need to share that bit of info? Now she'll be more guarded," Giles said.

"Giles, I just wanted to let her know that we weren't helpless. She'll at least think twice about strong-arming us."

"But we don't know how she'll react," Willow said. "What if she's not that stable or that thing has a mind of its own?"

"I'll take that chance. Right now I want to get this guy and get out of here."

"I'll second that," Willow agreed.

Sara had made the call. She told Danny and Jake to tell Dante she would be out following a lead. She was worried about the decision she made to work with these people, _especially_ since they seemed to know within a short amount of time what she bore on her wrist. She knew someone gave them the info, and she was more than certain that someone was Nottingham. As to why, she had no clue. But what she did know was that she needed to make progress on this case soon, because if she didn't, the only thing she would be investigating would be where her next paycheck was coming from.

_Out of the frying pan and into the fire_, she thought.


	13. Chapter XIII

**Majin Gojira: **My source was an episode of the TV show._**

* * *

**_

_**8:46 am, Thursday – Slayer Base HQ**_

"Um yes, well, Detective..."

"Sara," she interrupted. "I figure since we're working together on this we should at least go with first names."

"Um, well, Sara it is. Everyone seems to just call me Giles." The edge of Sara's mouth formed a smile at that. Giles returned the smile and continued. "Anyway," he said, "I think checking out these locations might be helpful, since we haven't had a chance yet to question any people there."

"I think I can swing that," Sara replied.

"Hey, Sara," Willow said, "can I get your cell number, just in case?"

"Sure." As she gave Willow the number, she asked, "So what're you going to be doing?"

"I'll be going with Giles, backing each other up. Might not have Slayer powers, but a witch and a Watcher can make a pretty decent team."

"If something becomes a police matter, call me. Anything you do could have some legal implications," Sara reminded them.

"Of course," Giles replied.

"Okay, so Sara and I will split..." Buffy started.

"_Detective_ Pezzini to you," Sara interrupted sternly.

Buffy glared at her. "_Sara_ and I will split up our portion of the list and check out some more of the contacts. I'll try and find some of the vampire hideouts, see if I can get anything out of them. We meet up in Central Park noon and at 4:45."

"Is she always this bossy?" Sara whispered to Willow.

"Kind of happens when you're the boss," Willow replied.

"Do me a favor, guys," Buffy continued. "Don't get killed." She then looked at Sara.

"Buffy..." Giles said as he looked at Buffy.

Sighing, she said insincerely, "You too, Sara."

"Oh, thank you so much," Sara replied sarcastically before they exited the room.

_Yeah, don't die, _Buffy thought_. But at least get a black eye... or stub a toe... or something._

_**  
12:01 pm, Thursday - Central Park**_

"Did you come up with anything?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing so far," Giles replied. "We tried some more of Robin's leads, but they turned up dry."

"There's got to be someone who knows some info," Willow opined. "This is a big city."

"Some of Robin's contacts did give me a few places to look." Giles handed Buffy a slip of paper. "We could try them and meet back here."

"Sound like a plan," Sara said. "Which ones are you taking, Giles?"

"Willow and I will start in Brooklyn and work our way back here. What about you?"

"The restaurant down in Chinatown, called 'Wong's'. I know the place and the guy who owns it. It's run by the Triads and things can get a bit rough if you play it wrong."

"Maybe Buffy should accompany you," he suggested.

"You're kidding me, right? The kid wouldn't last five minutes!"

"This 'kid' has taken on a lot more than you know. I can handle myself... unlike you," Buffy retorted.

"Guys, can we save the banter for later?" Willow asked.

"Fine. We meet here at 4:45. Just be careful."

"You too," Willow replied as she and Giles started to leave the park.

"Guess it's just you and me," Sara said cynical.

"Oh, the joy," Buffy retorted.

"Let's just go. The sooner we solve this, the sooner you leave New York."

"Gladly."

_**  
12:47 pm, Thursday – Wong's Palace Restaurant**_

The two women had made it to the restaurant, both annoyed the entire way about the other tagging along. But if they had to squash their feud for the sake of innocents, then they would do it. They just didn't have to like it.

"I'm here to see Tommy Chin," Sara said to the maitre d' as she flashed her badge.

Stone-faced, he picked up the phone. A few minutes later, a man dressed in fine clothes and a sly smile approached down the steps, flocked by menacing-looking bodyguards.

"Detective Pezzini. What a nice surprise. What brings you here?"

"Information, Tommy. That's all."

"Well, maybe I got it, maybe I don't. Follow me upstairs... and bring your pretty friend."

"Oh, this is gonna be loads of fun," Buffy said under her breath.

They walked up the stairs to the second level, the VIP section of the restaurant. It was exclusive to Triad members and, while it wasn't packed, it certainly had its fair share of patrons. The two women followed Tommy into his private office, guards on both sides of the doorway. Buffy was feeling like this was too clichéd for words. It was like something out of a bad gangster movie... only for real.

"So, what's on your mind, Detective?"

"The serial-killer, Tommy. I need to know if you heard anything weird happening around town that might be related."

"Sorry, Detective. Haven't been really paying attention. Since Old Man Vitelli kicked we've been trying to gain ground on the Mafia and that doesn't leave a lot of room for news broadcasts."

"It's been all over town. Don't tell me you haven't heard," Buffy said.

"Hey, sweetcheeks. If it hasn't hit Canal Street, then it ain't my problem."

"So you got nothing?" Sara asked.

"Didn't say that. Said I wasn't paying attention, but I do know a little. Some... 'associates' of mine caught a little bit of movement a few days ago on some business at the docks. People hauling stuff into a truck, and a couple robed figures were along for the ride. That's about it."

"So, in essence, you have nothing," Buffy said.

"Well, I got you, sugar," Tommy flirted mercilessly.

"Not likely."

"Ah, you're a little too round-eyed for my tastes anyway," he replied nonchalantly.

"Let's go," Sara said.

"Actually," Tommy replied, "speaking of docks, you do know about that shipment six months ago?"

"The one Customs busted you on, the one with stolen goods?" Sara replied. "Hey, one of your guys gets plugged and I followed up on it. You should really do more background checks on your employees."

"Yeah, well, I'm still recovering from the loss." The bodyguards started to convene on the two women. "Normally I like to keep personal stuff out of my business, but since it _really_ cost me, I'm afraid I'm going to need a little compensation. Maybe a broken knee."

"You know you can't touch me, Tommy," Sara said. "Cops'll be swarming you soon as I leave."

"True, but she's not a cop. I can tell," he replied pointing at Buffy. "You complain and they'll probably wonder why you brought a civilian along who got hurt. Won't look too good for you."

One of the guards, a burly one, grabbed Buffy and held her in a bear hug. Sara made a move toward her but was pushed away by one of the other guards.

The guard started to squeeze, just enough to cause maximum pain to a girl her size. Buffy just furrowed her brow and said, "That's it?" She broke out of the grip easily and punched the guard square in the chest, knocking him into the wall.

Sara activated the Witchblade and formed her glove. Getting up she punched the guard in the stomach and then back-fisted him into a fake Ming vase. Seeing their comrades dispatched, the other two guards in the room came at Buffy and Sara only to be thrown onto Tommy desk, breaking it. Hearing the commotion, the two guards outside came only to go flying out through the doors, alerting everyone in the VIP section to their presence. Some of the Triads had their guns out ready to shoot.

One of the guards sprawled on the floor of the office brought out his gun and stood up.

"Don't shoot!" Tommy yelled.

Excited, the bodyguard pulled the trigger.

What went through Buffy's mind the second he brought out the gun was that it was all over. The killer would get away and the world would possibly be in danger. But then she saw the gun was pointed at Sara. She only had a split-second to act. But it was all for nothing... in more ways than one.

Sara had turned to face the bodyguard as he shot. Lifting the gauntlet to her face the bullet ricocheted off. The bodyguard fired again and Sara blocked it again. The next shot came from behind her. It was Tommy, who shot the bodyguard in the leg. Turning around, Sara grabbed him and pinned him to the wall.

"You know what, Tommy? I'm really getting sick and tired of being attacked," Sara said. She extended her small blade and held it to his throat. "I might just have to take a little _compensation_, if you know what I mean."

"Sara, stop! Let's just get out of here."

"No! I've had enough of this and it's time for payback."

Buffy went up to the woman and grabbed her arm. "That's enough," she said slowly and menacingly.

Seeing the look in Buffy's eyes, she turned toward Tommy. Glaring at him, she started to walk out, with Buffy following her. Some were ready to attack but Tommy had them stand down, not wanting any more trouble for the day.

The two women went outside, Sara storming down the sidewalk. Buffy ran up and stopped in front of Sara, staring her in the eyes.

"What... was... _that_?" Buffy asked angrily.

"What?"

"You could've killed that guy. And why didn't you tell me that thing blocked bullets?"

"I had it under control, and you didn't need to know," Sara retorted.

"Are you kidding me? I saw the look in your eyes. That thing makes you crazy. You can't even control it. And I don't feel comfortable hanging around you without knowing everything the Witchblade is capable of."

Grabbing Buffy and pushing her into the side of an alley wall, Sara exclaimed, "I had it under complete control! And for the record, don't _ever_ get in my way again, got it!"

"Fine," Buffy said.

As Sara stormed off, Buffy added to her words. "Psycho."

_**  
4:47 pm, Thursday - Central Park**_

Nothing...again. Again, coming up with an estimated sum of zero pieces of information. They had worked all day and found nothing. After Buffy and Sara's 'encounter' at the restaurant, they checked out some other places and, fortunately, without incident. Their failure in acquiring more information made them feel the killer had swooped into town and did it without notice. Actually, it was _exactly_ like the killer swooped in without notice.

"So, what's our next move?" Sara asked.

"Well, me and Giles could check out some of the last few places on the list. Might be worth it. What do you think, Buffy?" Willow replied.

"We could try, but we better find something soon. It's almost night and I'm sure this guy is just itching to get started."

"Well, I have an idea," Sara said. "There's one guy I tried earlier, but he didn't have anything. Or so he told me. He might know something by now."

"Where is he?" Giles asked.

"I'll show you. But I got to say, he doesn't like me much."

"Really," Buffy said sarcastically. "Because someone of your charming disposition should make friends easily."

"Let's just go," Giles replied. _If those two don't kill each other, I just might have to lend a hand._

They arrived at the building twenty-five minutes later. The camera at the entrance zoomed in and the door buzzed. Needless to say, the Scoobies were a bit creeped out. No one even bothered to greet them. They walked through the doors and were met by a man walking down some steps, immaculately dressed and refined, from what Buffy could gather.

"Mr. Nottingham will see you upstairs," he said. "Follow me."

"Thanks," Sara said sarcastically. The group made their way upstairs and halted at the entrance. The man stood between them and the doors.

"What's the problem?" Buffy asked.

"Only Ms. Pezzini and Ms. Summers are allowed in: Mr. Nottingham's orders."

"Now see here..." Giles protested.

"Giles, it's alright. If Mr. Big-Wig wants to see me, he can." Buffy then looked at the man. "You just better hope he's not wasting our time."

The man smiled and opened the double-doors. Sara and Buffy made their way in and saw a chair in the middle of the room, with a figure looming over a warm, yet somewhat violent fire. The figure in the chair soon spoke.

"Lady Sara, you come to see me again. This is the second time this week. And I see you have brought a new, powerful ally: the Slayer. Or rather, _a _Slayer, I should say. But for all intents and purposes, she _is_ the one who leads them."

"How do you know about me?" Buffy asked.

"I've known about you for quite some time, Ms. Summers. I had always hoped to meet you, as did my master before his untimely demise."

"What happened to him?"

"Me," Sara replied.

"Figures," Buffy quipped.

"Look, Nottingham..." Sara started to say. That was, until Buffy decided to intervene.

"Look, you creeped me out. Congratulations. We just want some answers; do you or do you not have any information on the witch-killer or the next victim?"

Nottingham stood up from his chair, gracefully and deadly, Buffy noticed. She saw in his eyes an animal, only one refined and hidden by his exterior. She knew that type of being. He was the kind that had no problem killing others to meet his own goals, but did it under a veneer of sophistication and beauty. She only knew one other person like that: Dracula.

"I have neither the name of the killer or of the next victim, Ms. Summers."

"Then you're wasting our time," Buffy said before walking toward the doors.

"However, I do have one piece of information that might prove useful," Nottingham replied.

That stopped Buffy in her tracks. Turning around, she gazed at the man, examining him some more. Sure he was handsome, drop-dead handsome to be sure, but he had a kind of 'stalker' air about him, something that was a complete turn-off. Brushing aside that thought, she said, "So, what have you got?"

Smiling, Nottingham replied, "I recently found out about a gathering of Wiccans from the East Coast that is happening in New York tonight, on NYU's Campus. Normally I would not have noticed, but under the circumstances, I would say that such information might be beneficial."

"Where's it being held?" Sara said anxiously.

"Vanderbilt Hall, at 8:00."

"We've got to get moving," Sara said to Buffy. "Got to call the captain and let him know." As Sara brought out her cell phone and started to leave the room, Nottingham spoke aloud. "Lady Sara. I have aided you in this, only because it concerns this city and my interests. You have exhausted all of my generosity." Turning around toward the fire, he said, "Consider this your last visit."

Sara just looked at him. Buffy saw her face and knew immediately that Sara and Nottingham's relationship wasn't like hers and Spike's during the whole Glory fiasco. No, this was something akin to her and... Angelus. There was an 'I-might-kill-you-next-time-I-see-you' feeling in the air. She even thought that this guy might have been an old flame. If that was the case, Buffy started to feel for the woman, if only briefly. It was only Sara moving after staring at Nottingham that brought her out of her thoughts.

"Let's go," Sara said, all the time avoiding Buffy's eyes.

Outside, the doors opened to a waiting Willow and Giles, who wondered what had happened as Sara stormed out on her cell phone.

"What happened in there?" Willow asked.

"He told us about a witch conference in Vanderbilt Hall over at NYU," Buffy replied.

"Renders my whole spell pretty useless," Willow said disappointedly.

"Sara doesn't look too pleased," Giles said.

"Yeah, well, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Broody in there... yeah, another one... anyway, he told us the info and then told Sara not to come back ever again."

"They have a history?" Willow asked.

"Big time. Just don't know all of the details," Buffy replied.

Sara knew they were talking about her as she was talking to Dante. While she could have interrupted, she had bigger things on her mind. "Captain, we need to get some surveillance over to NYU near Vanderbilt Hall. There's some kind of witch conference over there starting at 8:00... Yeah, I'm heading over there right now." She closed her cell phone and approached Giles and Willow.

"So what's up? Heading over to NYU?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. You guys will have to stay back."

"Sara, we should at least be nearby, just in case something happens."

"Look, Giles, I can't put you in a police situation. I already stepped over a lot of bounds to have you tag along."

"Just get us somewhere reasonably close, Sara," Buffy said. She just realized she had used the woman's first name... and not in disgust. "I can get there and back pretty quickly."

Sara knew the girl's strength, but was now wondering, by her statements, if superhuman speed came with the package. Pondering this, she replied, "Okay, I can get you somewhere nearby. But stay out of sight, you hear?"

"I hear," Buffy replied.

"Let's get moving, then."

_**  
8:26 pm, Thursday – Roof of Liberty View Apartments**_

Buffy had hoped to be a little bit closer to the campus. As it was, Sara had put them on the roof of an apartment building ten blocks from Vanderbilt Hall. Of course, Buffy had no problem traversing that distance on rooftop. She just wondered if the killer or killers had any 'special skills' that would make her efforts all for naught.

Still, at least she and the Scoobies were still in the thick of it. And Sara had planned on notifying them by text messaging in case trouble was coming their way. Giles sat ready with small blades given to him by Robin, in case of emergencies. Willow just paced around, trying not to be bored by the constant waiting. They had been here for about an hour, hoping anxiously for a call to arms. They could put the killer's/killers' plans to a halt, or at least slow them down. Maybe they could even get one of them. But that was hoping for a lot. In a city like New York, a criminal could run and hide in a lot of places.

Meanwhile, Sara had been waiting herself. Upon arrival, she had quickly been given a backpack and had put her badge out of plain view. She had taken off her holster and put her gun in a less conspicuous spot, posing as just a random spring term student waiting for a study partner outside Vanderbilt Hall. Danny and Jake were standing by in a car, ready to respond if the need arose.

The small conference had already started. From the quickly-but-minimally-constructed surveillance, it looked like nothing out of the ordinary. A blessing on the opening, an introduction; altogether, nothing that was really out of the ordinary. She had been waiting for fifteen minutes when someone approached her.

"You waiting around for someone?" the man asked.

"You could say that," Sara replied, not really paying attention.

"Could be me."

"Not likely," Sara snorted, taking in the man's obvious attempt to hit on her.

"Come on, you don't have to be like that. Look, there's a party over at my friend's place tomorrow night. You're invited. Maybe we could even go..." It was then that the man was cut off by the lights going out at Vanderbilt Hall. There were a few surprised yells, brought about by the abrupt blackout. But soon, they were supplanted by screams of terror.

Sara brought out her gun, which shocked the young man. As he turned and bolted, Sara went into the building. She had to feel her way around, as the emergency generators had yet to kick in. She followed the screams as quickly as she could, hoping to get there in time to stop whatever was happening. Approaching the conference room, she saw some women running away, screaming in terror. Running into the room, she saw some trying to chant, while others were trying to fight off the unwanted guests. Sara's eyes then drifted toward the podium. A robed figure prepared to run a knife through a woman on the floor. She pointed her pistol at the figure.

"Freeze!"

The figure looked at her momentarily, before returning to its task. Sara was about to pull the trigger when someone tackled her. Her gun knocked away, the Witchblade activated, unsheathing its sword. She saw the thing that knocked her down, its teeth bared and eyes yellow with hunger. It lunged, but she slashed at it, wounding it in the process. She tried to make it to the podium, but more of the yellow-eyed figures surrounded her. As she prepared to fight them off, the robed figure yelled, "We're finished here! Let's get moving!" It held up the victim's heart in triumph and the group of yellow-eyed fiends dispersed and left toward the back, where she hoped the S.W.A.T. team planted nearby would catch them. Concealing the Witchblade and breaking out her cell phone, Sara sent off a message just in case, hoping that the recipients would get it in time. Just as she finished, Danny and Jake had come in after trying to get past the fleeing conference-goers.

Danny and Jake had approached Sara just as the generators had kicked in. Danny was the first to speak up.

"Pez, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Did the S.W.A.T. team catch them out back?"

"Jake's checking on that," Danny replied.

"Say again, did we get them?" Jake asked over the radio.

"Negative," replied the team leader. "We don't see anybody back here."

"That's impossible," Danny said. "We had all the exits covered; there was no way to get out without anyone knowing."

"We lost them?!" Sara exclaimed. She was sure they would catch them. It was almost a guarantee. Sighing disappointedly, she hoped her ace-in-the-hole would come through.

The Scoobies had gotten the message about three minutes earlier. Buffy had already started hop-scotching from rooftop to rooftop and arrived in about five minutes at the predetermined location. Her cell phone vibrated and she looked at it. It was Willow, calling from a taxi.

"Buffy, Sara just told me that the group just walked out of the building unseen. They're probably using a glamour. I'll try and break it. Just keep your eyes peeled."

"Check," Buffy replied as she closed the cell phone.

Willow and Giles had arrived ten minutes later. If they were all lucky, the killers would be near there, perhaps in an alley on the ground. Buffy waited around, trying to use her extra-powerful senses to ferret out the group before Willow worked her spell. Willow had to be cautious, since she'd be trying to break glamours in the vicinity of a couple of buildings. It would scatter about, but it would hit all of the targets within one-block radius. She only hoped nobody else would need one tonight.

Buffy saw traces of light coming from below the building in an alley, no doubt Willow trying to stay as hidden as possible. The light soon exploded and suddenly brightened, expanding out quickly. In a few moments, it was gone. But a moment was all Buffy needed.

She saw a group making its way down the opposite side of the alley, as quickly as they could. Running down the fire escape, she tried to get to Giles and Willow as fast as she could. Giles had his blades at the ready and Willow was prepared to launch a mini-fireball in their direction. The group saw them and attacked. A few of them were vampires, Willow noted, so she had no problem in exterminating any of them. Buffy jumped the last levels of the fire escape onto one of the vampires. Seeing a wooden crate, she broke a piece off and staked it. Not even watching it turn to dust she focused on the next one. But really, all of the Scoobies had been keeping their eye on the red-robed figure carrying a package. _Probably the heart_, Buffy thought. If he made it out, their plan would all be for nothing.

And it looked like it was going to be, as he made it past them. The vampires had covered his route as one of them accompanied him to the street and kicked open a sewer grate. The Scoobies were preoccupied with not dying as the two escaped, hoping to go unnoticed. By the time the battle finished, all that was left were a few bruises, piles of dust, and one pissed-off Slayer.

"They got away," Buffy said.

"Uhhh..."

"Maybe not," Giles amended. He went toward the prone figure and rolled him over. He was a mass of serious burns, the fire snuffed out when he stumbled into the trash nearby. "It seems that one of the vampires Willow hit didn't burn up."

Buffy quickly rushed over to the figure and grabbed him. "Who are you working for?" she yelled. "Where can we find him? What is he planning?"

"Huh...you'll never find my master," the vampire spat out. "He'll complete his work, and then the world will bow before him. You think you're prepared? You know nothing. You and all your friends will bleed..." The vampire was cut short by one of Giles blades stabbed into one of the burn wounds. Howling in pain, Buffy asked again, "Where is your boss? Now!"

The vampire hesitated, but then said, "An old warehouse in the meatpacking district, the Jolly Jerky building. It doesn't matter, though. You go and you'll die, all of you." He spat blood in Buffy's face in hatred. Furious, Buffy grabbed her stake and plunged it into his heart, turning him to dust.

"Get Sara on the phone," Buffy ordered. "We need to tell her about this, as much as I don't want to." _Great, another warehouse_.

"What's the plan?" asked Giles as Willow dialed Sara's cell.

"We go to the warehouse, we find the bad guy, and we kill him and the vamps working for him. Any humans, and we just break bones."

Willow approached them after she spoke with Sara, saying, "Sara said she'll meet us at our place to guide us over there, but it'll take some time. She's got to talk to her captain and do some other stuff."

"Good, it'll leave us some time to get some weapons and form a plan," Buffy replied. "Let's go."

"Buffy, doesn't it bother you that someone so fanatic about his master would _willingly_ give away his hideout after only a minute?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, it does."

_**  
9:25 pm, Thursday – Old Jolly Jerky Warehouse**_

Sean had seen to it that Tarchannen's prize was delivered as promised. The Dark One had set a special room to begin the enclosed ritual. It would require deep concentration and gathering of forces, and his master was not to be disturbed until the proper time.

"Once the Slayer and her friends come, lure them to my lair. But do not be obvious. I shall deal with them personally once the ritual is complete."

"Yes, my master," Sean replied. "I will do your bidding."

_**  
10:33 pm, Thursday – Slayer Base HQ**_

Sara had arrived just five minutes earlier. She, Danny, and Jake had taken the eyewitnesses' statements and made sure they were all escorted home. The three then went back to the precinct to finish up prepare their reports, but Sara told them she had to get going. They protested, knowing Dante would rip her a new one if her report wasn't on his desk first thing in the morning. Sara had reassured them that it would be, and rushed out the door.

That was about twenty-five minutes ago. Sara was pissed. Not only had the killer gotten the heart, but had made the entire precinct look like fools. If dishing out pain was the only way to get rid of the embarrassment, then so be it.

"We got everything?" Buffy asked.

"We've got a witch with super-mojo, a Slayer with a scythe, and a cop with an evil gauntlet. I think that's everything," Willow replied.

"Don't forget the Watcher ready to ride out on the motorcylcle in case you fail," Giles reminded her.

"I was hoping we wouldn't have to mention that," Willow said somewhat nervously.

"You got how to take out vamps, Sara?" Buffy inquired. She had given the cop an extremely brief primer on the subject as soon as she arrived.

"Wooden stake, sunlight, crosses, holy water and, my favorite, beheading. I got it. You sure you can handle my bike, Giles?" Sara asked.

"I'll have you know I was quite the motorcycle rider back in my day. I wasn't always a Watcher, you know."

"Yeah, used to be a rebellious, chain-smoking, demon-raising, ticking time-bomb back in the day," Willow mentioned casually. Realizing what she had said, she immediately covered her mouth.

"A demon-raising, ticking time-bomb? You'll have to tell me about that one, Giles... assuming we survive," Sara said.

"Let's just go," he said, wanting to get off of the subject.

The four left the room and went down the stairs, like a small army preparing for war. Whatever was coming had to be stopped or all of New York, or even the world, would be in danger. Sara hopped on her bike and sped away as Giles, Willow, and Buffy got into the taxi they hailed and ordered the driver to follow her. They would set themselves a safe distance outside of the warehouse, enough for Giles to get away if need be.

Buffy was nervous. She had taken on plenty of bad guys, and her last battle was one for the record books. But at least she had known _something_ about her opponent in each one of those battles. On this one, they were going in as blind as a bat and had no clue what to expect. For all they knew, the building could have been rigged to blow. But it was either take that chance, or risk an all-out slaughter of the city.

They arrived at the site at around 11:00 pm. They looked outside of the warehouse from a bushy clearing, Sara's bike on the kickstand and the key in the ignition. They saw three figures guarding the entrance to the building. Buffy started to think that things were fitting in way too neatly; first they couldn't find a shred of leads, but now they were heading to the boss' base? Maybe it was coincidence. _Yeah, or maybe it was leprechauns_, she thought. But this time, she decided to voice her concern.

"Does anyone else think this is fitting in a little too well?"

"You, too?" Willow asked.

"I'll second that," Giles replied.

"I thought I was the only one," Sara responded.

"Still, let's not disappoint them," Buffy said. "Sara, think you could swing around and approach them, do the cop routine?"

"Yeah."

"Willow and I will approach them from behind. Be ready for anything."

"Gotcha."

Sara left their presence and maneuvered around the building behind the trees and bushes. Finally making it to an open clearing, she walked nonchalantly out and approached the three guards.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?'

"What do _you_ want?" one of the guards said.

Sara flashed her badge. "Police. We got some complaints of some weirdos around the area. Mind explaining to me what you're doing here."

"Oh, wow, a cop. We're shaking in our boots," the lead guy taunted.

As he approached threateningly, Sara pulled out her gun and yelled, "Hold it right there!" Each of the men changed their features to reveal yellow eyes, forehead ridges, and fangs. The lead vampire taunted Sara, saying, "What are you gonna do with that, give us a love tap?"

"She's not handing out love taps," Buffy said behind them. She staked one of the vampires with her scythe and Willow dusted the other one with the sword she had gathered from base. Leaving the lead vampire shocked Buffy said, "We are." Taking a look at Sara, Buffy saw that the Witchblade was activated. "Oh, I guess she _is_ handing out loves taps." Turning around, the lead vampire was met with a sword to the neck. As the dust settled, the three gathered in front of the entrance and looked at each other. Taking a deep breath, Buffy bust down the doors. The occupants of the building stopped in their tracks and looked at them. Most were vampires, but there were some humans, and a few demons. Some brandished swords, while others had just their fists.

The two Scoobies, and the pseudo-Scooby, looked at the group. Altogether, they were about thirty strong. Giving a war cry, Buffy broke the relative silence and the three charged into the building. Willow focused and pushed the first few assailants with her powers, while Buffy engaged the vampires with her scythe. She and Willow tried as best they could to avoid killing the humans, but it was extremely hard. Sara, on the other hand, had no problem taking them out. They were defending a killer and interfering with a police investigation. If they got in the way, there would be consequences, and loss of life was one of them.

Willow was holding up, considering she had neither Slayer powers nor an enchanted gauntlet. And her skill with a blade was quite nascent. What she lacked in physical prowess she more than made up for in magical ability. Still, to channel her power against the speedy tactics of a vampire was daunting. She took a right cross to her face from one of the opposing vampires. Recovering from the hit, she turned her head toward the vamp, her eyes black. Using her power she telekinetically threw the vampire toward a jutting piece of wood. As it turned to dust, she recovered and began to attack.

Sara was starting to feel the Witchblade trying to take over. She was fighting like a wild woman, cutting and slashing as best she could. Unfortunately, one of the vampires took a hold of her and threw her toward the steps. The vampire approached and started to pound on her mercilessly. Sara extended her short blade and stuck into her gut. After kicking her off, more gathered at the bottom of the steps. They continuously fought Sara as she backed up the steps, moving toward the guards at the top while defending herself with her sword.

Buffy had noticed Sara being separated from the group and felt it was a little odd. She and Willow had been kept somewhat close together, while Sara was halfway up the steps. Backing up against Willow, she said, "We've got to catch up to Sara. I don't want to get separated."

"Yeah," Willow agreed. Channeling her power as much as she could, she dispersed the group of enemies before them.

Meanwhile, Tarchannen sat in the upstairs room, chanting. "_Setai vola, Setai vola. Kodor meshai vutanna, kodor meshai breseca. Zarador, zarador_." The witch hearts were melting and merging into one, forming a red ball hovering in the air. Wind was swirling in the room, like a small tornado.

Sara had been vigorously fighting her way up the steps. Buffy and Willow arrived behind the fighting group at the bottom of the steps and viciously fought threw them, but more came from behind to assist their comrades. The Grox'lar leading the charge would be the more muscle of the group. Using its fists it swung at Willow, who ducked and stabbed it. Willow then realized something; the Grox'lar was only trying to wound her. It was almost as if...

Horror came to Willow's face. Sara was being herded. They all were, but it seemed Sara was the priority. By all accounts, they should have been dead, but the reality was that they mostly sustained a couple of flesh wounds and bruises. Looking up toward the second level of the building, Willow yelled after Sara.

"Sara, wait!" Willow ran up the steps as fast as she could.

_"Zarador! Zarador! ZARADOR!"_

Willow yelled toward Buffy, saying, "Buffy, Sara's being herded!"

Buffy, realizing the gravity of the situation, tried to get to Sara and Willow but wanted to cover their backs. She stayed back to keep the vamps off of them as much as she could. She then ran up to meet them. Sara had made it to the guards and was engaging them with her sword. After she cut the last one down, Sara burst through the doors as Willow and Buffy caught up with her.

"Sara, wait!"

"_VALASH!_"

It was too late. The red ball had hit Sara, who was lifted off of the ground. Both Buffy and Willow had been thrown to the side by the impact. Sara writhed and screamed in pain, as did the darkly-robed figure. The scream was piercing.

"Sara!" Buffy cried out. But it was no use.

Giles stood outside, seeing the light from the building. He was fully prepared to ride away and alert the others about what happened, but the twenty-minute mark had not yet come.

Though in reality it was only fifteen seconds, to Sara it felt like an eternity. It was like tiny daggers piercing every inch of her body, like a blanket of pain covering her. The experience was excruciating, more than anything she had felt before. Dropping to the floor her agony started to subside, though she was extremely disoriented. The dark figure was on its knees, breathing heavily. It then when Willow let out a cry.

"Oh, Goddess!"

"What is it, Willow?" Buffy asked, working her way toward an injured Sara.

"I know who it is, who's been doing all this. It was blocking me before, but now its defenses are down."

"Who is it, Willow?"

The dark figure lifted up the mask from its face and took off its hood. Though Buffy had expected some deranged demon or vicious-looking vamp, she was surprised to see a dark-haired human female with piercing eyes and a wicked smile.

"Hello, Willow," the woman said.

Willow replied in her deepest, darkest, lowest tone.

"Hello... Amy."


	14. Chapter XIV

"Amy? You've been doing all this?" Buffy asked, astonished.

"Yep. Little old me," she replied innocently.

"You murdered those women! They were innocent and you murdered them!" Willow exclaimed indignantly.

"Oh, please. Spare me the whining, Willow."

"You know this psycho?" Sara said, regaining her composure as she tried to stand.

"Amy Madison," Buffy replied, "an old 'acquaintance' from back home. What did she do to you, Sara?"

"I don't know. It felt like..." Sara said as she winced. "It felt like something was ripped from me."

"Actually, more like 'copied'," Amy said.

"What?" Sara asked, hoping to clarify Amy's statement.

To their horror, Amy pulled up her sleeved to reveal an onyx-colored metal gauntlet with a red eye in the middle. Seeing their mouths agape Amy said, "There was no way to recreate the Witchblade and I'd thought all my plans would come to a grinding halt. Imagine my surprise when one of my mother's old mystical contacts had a spell on him that could duplicate vessels of great power. Apparently, he had forgotten he'd acquired it."

"And he just gave it to you?" Buffy asked unbelievingly.

"No. I just turned on the charm, pranced around seductively, and... pilfered it. Now I have the power that Willow took for granted. I have the power to shape the world. I have the power to rule it."

"We'll see about that," Willow said as her eyes turned black.

"Oh, yes," Amy said. She lowered her head and raised it back up, her eyes like Willow's. "You _will_." Immediately her Witchblade's metal began to crawl up and down Amy's body, forming a smooth outer layer of armor. As it crawled around her head, the metal stretched around her forehead and down the side of her face. She squirmed in ecstasy of its movement, as if it were a lover's touch. Her black robe fell to reveal a bodysuit and cape, also black. When the metal of her Witchblade had finally stopped, there Amy stood, in a costume of a mixture of black with red designs, the red parts having edges to them to show its viciousness. Finally, she extended a sword from her Witchblade, primed liked a cobra and ready to strike.

"You ready?" Amy taunted.

Willow charged at her with her sword, black-eyed and enraged. Amy parried Willow's strikes and grabbed her, pulling her into a head-butt. She then punched Willow in the stomach with so much force she flew back.

"I could definitely get used to this," Amy quipped.

Buffy decided to get into the fray and swung her scythe toward Amy. Sparks flew and metal clashed, but it all became moot as Amy pinned Buffy's scythe down, delivered a left cross to her face, and kicked her into the other wall.

Sara, as lousy as she was feeling, nevertheless charged at Amy and struck with all of her might. Someone had _dared_ to copy the Witchblade. Aside from Sara being pissed, her own Witchblade was _furious_. It felt violated. Raped. The only way to settle the score was with blood, blood to wash away the injustice done to it. Sara, full of rage, slashed and cut at every opening, but Amy had parried them all. Grabbing Sara, Amy said, "Let's face it, sweetie; you're just not the 'It' girl anymore." With that, she pulled Sara into a knee strike, hit her with a right elbow, and backhanded her with the butt of her sword arm, flinging her against the wall.

But the fight was not over yet. Willow had regained herself and began chanting, "Let the fires of my rage burn my enemy to ash as I look upon her!" Letting loose a stream of fire, it hurtled toward Amy. But Amy stuck out her left hand to block it. After a struggle between the two, Amy redirected the much-reduced blast back to Willow. Willow had only a second to respond as she covered herself and was again thrown against the wall, her hair and clothes singed.

Buffy had had enough. She wanted this finished... and soon. Amy had caused enough problems in the past, but now she was a living, breathing sociopath. She engaged Amy in a blur of motions, hoping for an opening. Spinning around to her left, her scythe met metal. She quickly rotated to her right and ducked, slashing Amy's stomach. While it wasn't a fatal strike, it was good enough. Or so Buffy thought. Amy, stunned, regained herself and telekinetically threw Buffy back violently. The scythe flying from her hands, it was caught by Sara, who proceeded toward Amy with a double-armed attack.

Sara fought like never before. Before, she knew it was herself combating the evils in the warehouse. But now, she and the Witchblade were like one. For once, they had agreed on something: Amy had to die. She was a raging wind of blows and counter-attacks, so fast that it was almost a blur. Anger built up in every strike, in every hit, and sparks flew like a small swarm. Faster and faster the attacks poured out, like a dam that had burst. Sara finally scored a hit with her sword, coincidentally, on Amy's left thigh. As Amy stumbled back, Willow let loose lightning from her hands, which Amy barely blocked. She took most of it, but deflected a lot of the bolts away. By the end, all four combatants were winded from the fight.

Sara tossed the scythe back to Buffy. "Looks like you aren't as tough as you thought, Amy," Buffy said, breathing heavily.

"I'm not at my full power. That spell took a lot out of me. However, I still have one trick left up my sleeve..." Breathing in and out, Amy marshaled her forces. Gathering her power, she hunched over and lifted up her leg. As she stomped, she cried out in a guttural yell.

The floor shook and rumbled, as the middle started to crack and collapse. Hovering in the air, Amy blew a entrance out of the wall and drifted away, laughing as she did so.

The three women left there tried to stay steady, but the floor collapsed beneath them. There was a length of chain that was attached to the ceiling. Seeing it, Buffy grabbed it and held on as she fell, dropping her scythe. She caught Willow, who was on the way down, who in turn caught Sara. The chain was strong enough to hold the weight of the three of them. Unfortunately, the damaged metal structure of the second level was not, and they all fell fifteen feet on through a few rotting wooden crates. Luckily for Willow, Sara had held on to the girl to cushion her fall. Still, all three women just lay there, bruised, bleeding, and defeated.

The twenty-minute mark had passed, and none but the previous occupants had been seen coming out. Desiring in his deepest recesses to go and check on the girls, Giles knew what he was supposed to do. He started up the motorcycle and sped off back to base camp.

A few minutes later in the building, a prone figure started to moan.

"Uhhh..."

Buffy was trying to sit up as best she could. She felt just like she did after her first encounter with Sara: lousy.

"Are you two alright?" she asked. Sara and Willow started to come about.

"Yeah," Sara replied. "Just as soon as that brass section stops playing in my head... again."

"Man, remind me to bring football gear next time we do that," Willow said groggily.

"Let's get back home. We have to tell Giles and the others about this," Buffy said. "Things just went from bad to worse."

_**  
12:35 am, Friday – Slayer Base HQ**_

Giles had arrived home, frantic to contact the other Slayers and get them to New York. If something had been powerful enough to take out Buffy, Willow, and Sara, then he was going to need as much help as he could get. Pondering the difficult road ahead, he started dialing numbers on his cell phone.

"Hey, Giles. How's it going over..." the voice on the other side said.

"Faith, get whatever Slayers you can and get to New York."

"Wait... Giles, what's going on? Is Buffy..."

"Faith, just do it, please!"

"Okay, you got it."

Giles hung up quickly and dialed the another number, given to him in case of something like this.

"Hello?" the other voice said.

"It's Giles. Get to New York... now."

"I'm on it," Kennedy replied. With that, she hung up. She had been prepared to leave for New York at the drop of a hat. Willow was there, and if she was in trouble, then Kennedy wanted to be in the thick of it.

Giles was about to call Xander when his phone rang instead. He saw that it was Willow and excitedly answered.

"Willow?"

"Giles, it's Buffy. We're all fine... sort of. We'll be by in about twenty minutes. We've got a serious problem on our hands."

"Understood. I've been making phone calls and gathering things since I arrived."

"Thanks. By the way... could you get some ice packs ready?"

"Huh? Um... y-y-yes, certainly."

"See you in a few, Giles."

The phone hung up and Giles walked over to the fridge to get the ice packs. Closing his eyes and pausing before opening the door, he sighed in relief. His charges had been spared. They were alive, alive enough to come home first. _Fortune favors us again_, he thought. _For now._

In the cab they had caught, Sara was in deep thought. She started mentally berating herself. _I should've seen something. I should've done something. Why didn't I see it? How many people are going to die because of my mistake? What did I unleash on the world?_ Buffy had seen Sara's face and decided not to say anything to her. She had also seen Willow's face and hers was completely different. Hers was a look of brimming rage and anger.

The cabbie that picked them up had seen in his rearview mirror the state of his passengers and asked, "What happened to you three?"

Buffy, brought out of her stupor, curtly said, "Kickboxing class."

About twenty minutes later, the three women had shown up at the apartment, a mass of cuts and bruises to Giles' world-weary eyes. Willow's hair, eyebrows, and clothes were singed and she had a nasty bruise on her jaw. Buffy was once again hobbling because of her knee, aside from her own cuts, and Sara was sporting a black eye and a swollen jaw, along with a re-injured wrist. Both Sara and Willow had been silent on the cab ride home.

Giles stood there with his mouth agape, wondering what had happened in that warehouse.

"Giles, trust us... we feel a lot worse than we look. Still, can we get those ice packs you got?" Buffy asked.

"Oh... right," Giles said snapping out of his stupor to give the women the soothing cold bags for their wounds.

Taking her ice pack, Buffy moaned in profound pleasure at the numbness. She had been using them for years for her aches and pains, and they felt like ecstasy every time. Coming out of her temporary euphoria, she decided to tell Giles the bad news.

"Giles, we have a problem."

"So you said on the phone. What happened in there?"

"Well..."

"Amy Madison _happened_," Willow interrupted, removing the ice pack from her face.

"What?" Giles asked in surprise.

"Amy," Buffy continued. "She's been the one doing all of this. She orchestrated the entire thing."

"How? What? How?" Giles asked, confused at the notion.

"Seems she's been a busy little bee ever since she left Sunnydale," said Willow, contempt dripping from her voice.

"We have to stop her from whatever she's planning. We need to contact more Slayers, work out a plan, and..." Giles said anxiously as he started to dial more numbers. Looking at the dejected expressions of his former charges, he stopped and said, "And why do I get the impression that you haven't told me the worst part yet?"

"Giles, we've got some more bad news," Buffy replied, hesitant to tell.

Closing his phone, he was unsure he wanted to know what that bad news was. Deciding that he was going to find out anyway, he asked, "What is it?"

"Amy copied the Witchblade," Sara interjected angrily, breaking her silence.

"She what?!"

"She used the witch hearts for a spell, one that was able to duplicate the Witchblade. Pretty much tossed us around after that." Willow said.

"Oh good Lord. This is bad, this is _extremely_ bad," Giles said pacing around.

"She had so much power. How? Why? I don't get it," Sara asked herself.

"Her mother was a witch, and Amy started going down the same route a few years back. And like her mother, she went evil with it," Willow replied.

"Giles, we need to figure out her next move," Buffy said. "We need intel. We need to know all we can about that thing and what it can do." All eyes in the room started to focus on Sara.

"Hey, I don't know how she did it! All I know is I'm pissed and this thing is pissed," she said pointing at her bracelet. "She shouldn't have been able to do it in the first place."

"Why not?" asked Buffy.

"The Witchblade is a balance against evil..." Sara started.

"Could've fooled me," Buffy interrupted.

"Look... when evil reaches a critical mass, it searches for Bladewielders to offset that, to balance the darkness. If Amy's as bad as you say, then she wouldn't have been worthy of it. She shouldn't have even been able to put it on."

"So how did she?" Buffy asked.

"If I knew that I'd be telling you, wouldn't I?" Sara replied.

"Maybe if you _had_ known more about your 'trinket' we wouldn't be in this position," Buffy shot back.

"Newsflash, Buffy... your guys' 'stellar' research didn't come in handy either."

"Well, at least _we_ had something. We went in there blind as a bat to what that thing was capable of."

"Just what are you implying?" Sara asked.

"I'm implying that for a detective who wears an evil gauntlet, you know absolutely jack about it!"

"Hey, I'm the one dealing with a killer because _you_ guys couldn't handle her back home! Pretty lame for a supposed 'Slayer'."

"What did call me?!" Buffy replied lividly.

"I called you 'lame'. God knows how you lasted _this_ long in New York," Sara said.

"Don't make me come over there and smack you down again."

"Bring it on, then!" Sara got up and stormed toward Buffy. Buffy then moved toward the detective.

"I've had about all I can take from you, Pezzini!" Buffy shouted.

"Then stop yapping and get down to it already!" Sara shouted back.

"Nothing would make me happier!"

"Any time, runt!"

Giles and Willow had been watching the escalating exchange, shocked at what they were seeing. Here they were, possibly on the cusp of a huge confrontation, and the two strongest combatants in the room were ready to tear the other's throat out. Giles quickly ran in-between them.

"Enough!" he yelled. "I have had enough of this bloody bickering! We have a witch with a powerful weapon out there, we have no idea how she plans to use it, and you two are carrying on like this is a some pissing contest! I know tensions are running high and we've suffered a major setback, but we have more important things to concentrate on. So, either you two shut up and start acting like adults or I will do it for you." The way Giles said it made it seem like more than an idle threat.

Willow had been rarely ever seen Giles so furious. It was the 'Ripper' in him coming out, and it started to scare _her_. She looked over to Buffy and Sara only to see them glaring at each other. Taking their eyes off of each other they both then sat down, Buffy on the couch and Sara in the easy-chair.

"Giles, what are we going to do about this? I mean, Amy's packing a lot of power and we're not exactly rich in resources," Willow asked.

"I've made some phone calls and I believe we'll get some assistance on this. I'll have to tell Faith she need not come..."_Sara and a fugitive in the same room? I'll pass,_ he thought. "...but Kennedy will be, as well as some of the others."

"Good," said Willow. "We'll need all the help we can get." Aside from that, though, Willow was glad to be seeing Kennedy once more.

"Amy Madison, Amy Madison, Amy..." Sara said in a whispered voice.

"What is it?" Willow asked.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about that name. It seems really familiar," Sara replied. "I don't know, it just seems like I've heard it before."

"It's a pretty common name," Buffy said condescendingly.

"Whatever," Sara replied. "I just know I've heard that name before."

"Is she involved with the police somehow, like a witness or in some file, or something like...?" Willow asked.

"That's it!" Sara exclaimed. "Genovese Vitelli."

"Who?" Giles asked.

"Genovese Vitelli, Mafia don. I looked into their activities for some time. The Organized Crimes division always kept an eye on him, but they never had anything. But surveillance _did_ catch him with some young girl a while ago, and then one day, he's married to her."

"And you think the young woman was Amy? You said 'kept' an eye on him. Why is that?" asked Giles.

"Because Don Vitelli died over a month ago, from a heart attack."

"Why would Amy, a powerful and crazy witch, be hooked up with a crime boss?" asked Buffy.

"An excellent question," replied Giles.

_**  
1:13 am, Friday – Home of Genovese Vitelli, Staten Island**_

Carlo Vitelli was exhausted. As the successor to his father, he had to make sure that things with other families were going to work out, especially if they wanted to counter the Yakuza and the Russian encroachment on their territories, as well as Triad strong-arming. Entering his limo, he wanted to get home to see his wife and kids... and to get away from Amy. He had never liked her, or the hold she had on his father in his last few months. It seemed that Genovese was so concerned with her that business affairs had taken a back seat. And Amy herself wasn't the peach she claimed to be. He sensed something in her, something he couldn't explain, but knew he didn't like... at all.

Hoping to put that business off until tomorrow, he noticed that the driver was making all of the wrong turns in getting to his house.

"Hey, Jerry, where're you going, huh? You know where I live. Get moving!"

The driver turned around only to reveal a deformed brow and fangs.

"You're not Jerry!"

"Aren't you quick?" the vampire said sarcastically. He rolled up the privacy window and Carlo yelled.

"Hey, what's going on here? Let me out! Let me..."

"Hello, Carlo," a voice said.

"What? Who said that?"

A disembodied head, illuminated in red light, appeared in front of him. To his surprise, he realized it looked like Amy. "Amy?" he asked.

"In the flesh, so to speak."

"What's going on?"

"You know, I always liked you, Carlo. Ambitious, handsome, just like your father. However, there are going to be some changes around this town and, well, I just don't think you'll fit with them."

"What are you talking about?" Carlo asked.

"I'm saying it's time for you to retire... just like your father did."

"You killed him, didn't you?"

"Well, I don't want to brag, but inducing that heart attack was extremely easy."

"You little..."

"Now, now, is that any way to talk to your stepmother? Oh, would you look at the hour? I think it's time for bed. I usually find a nice bubble bath relaxes me before sleeping. But I'm afraid _your_ bath won't have any bubbles. Goodbye...'son'."

With that, Amy's head disappeared, and Carlo Vitelli was left screaming and cursing her name as his limo went off of the pier and into the New York Harbor.


	15. Chapter XV

_**1:15 am, Friday – Slayer Base HQ**_

"Man, I'm beat," Sara said as she yawned. "I'm calling it a night. Gonna get a shower and some rest before work. Hopefully, it'll be enough."

Giles looked at Willow expectedly, hoping that she would show some courtesy and invite Sara to stay for the night. He knew Buffy would protest, but if they were going to be fighting Amy in the near future, they would need to have their wits about them. Catching on, Willow asked, "Sara, why don't you stay here for the night?"

"Well, I want to get my clothes washed. I'd rather not sleep in blood and dirt," she replied.

"Giles probably has some clothes for sleep. I'll just throw your stuff in the washer with mine."

"Huh... alright, I'll stay."

"Great," said Buffy, obviously displeased.

"I'll take the couch," Sara said.

"Nonsense," Buffy replied. "Since you _are_ a guest here, you might as well take Giles' room, right Giles?" If she was going to put up with the cop, someone was going to pay for it. And that someone would be Giles.

"Wha... uh..."

"See, showing us that famous British hospitality." Buffy beamed a wily smile. If Giles wanted her here, then she got his room. It was only fair.

"Thanks, Giles," Sara replied. She knew she had been played against him for Buffy's amusement/revenge. But she was too tired and too busted up to gripe about it. _Let the girl work through her issues_, she thought.

"I'm going to take a shower," Sara said.

"There are some towels in the bathroom. Just help yourself," Willow said.

"Thanks." Sara then went into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving the Scoobies to themselves.

"Must you be so rough with her, Buffy?" Giles asked. "We're all on the same side."

"Giles, she doesn't even know everything she's capable of with that thing. And now Amy's got one. I think that the subject deserves a _little_ bit of scrutiny."

"I seem to recall a time when you came asking me to help you understand your own power when Dracula nearly seduced you."

Buffy was shocked. She never thought that Giles would bring that subject up and smack her in the face with it. If she wasn't mad before, she was now. "That's a low blow, Giles, and you know it."

"Maybe, but it _does_ illustrate something. We're privy to one of the most fabled weapons in history. Even the Watchers' Council thought it to be myth. Not much is known about it and even less is known what it's capable of. She said the Witchblade 'chooses' its wearer, and I am certain that she didn't ask for it. Maybe the reason you have a hard time getting along is because you see a lot of yourself in her."

"What?! That's ridiculous! She's completely different from me." Buffy replied.

"Really? Both chosen when you did not have the choice, both dealing with powers that are still somewhat a mystery to many, both fighting to make sure that power doesn't overwhelm you, and both fighting things that are mostly hidden from the world. Perhaps you two are much more alike than you think."

As Giles left to prepare the room, Buffy sat on the couch, thinking about what Giles had said. Was it true? Were they so alike it made it tough to be around each other? Faith had once said, back when she was bad, that she was Buffy's dark side, the one that she always held underneath but never let out. But with Sara, it was different. When it came down to it, they were just two women coping with things most didn't understand. Sure Sara could be blunt, condescending, and a control freak, but wasn't she the same thing in Sunnydale? As she recalled, she was kicked out of her own house based on those grounds! If Sara was just like her, maybe they _could_ find a way to get along.

"Hey, Blondie... got any shampoo?" Sara said sticking her head out of the door.

_Then again_, she thought, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Sara had taken her time in the shower, to let all the grime, grit, and blood wash away. To be honest, she started to fear for the city. She had no idea what to expect and no idea how to go about planning for what Amy had in store. Amy was rolling sevens and all they seemed to be getting were snake-eyes. Exiting the shower and grabbing a towel, she started to gently pat herself down when she heard a knock. Sticking her head out, her hair soaked, she saw Giles standing with a robe in hand.

"I thought you could use this," he said.

"Thanks." Closing the door, Sara put on the robe, which was actually quite comfortable. Opening the door once more, she followed Giles to his bedroom as he started to gather a pillow and blanket for his date with the couch.

"So..." Sara asked, looking for a conversation piece. "Is Buffy always...?"

"Yes, _always_. No, I'm being facetious. She can be somewhat difficult to deal with, Sara, but understand that she has been doing this for eight years. While she can be a handful, she is also the most capable Slayer I have ever heard of. I would dare say that she is the greatest Slayer on record."

"Must be a pretty unimpressive record," Sara sneered. Seeing Giles' expression, she quickly amended her words, saying, "I'm sorry, Giles, I didn't mean that. I've just been dealing with a lot for awhile now. It's been so hard lately, you know?. I've got an evil gauntlet on my wrist halfway ready take over at a moment's notice. I've got creatures of the night and who-knows-what-else to contend with just itching to tear innocents apart. I've got Nottingham either plotting against me or trying to manipulate me as we speak, just like his boss was, and I've got a crazy witch with a much-more evil duplicate of said gauntlet planning on doing something that's going to make us all wish we'd stayed in bed. On top of all that, I've got a little blond girl pretty much telling me it's all my fault and a captain ready to have my badge for lunch the minute I screw up. I'm tired, Giles. I'm tired of this thing, I'm tired of the responsibility, I'm tired of all the death, and I am sick and tired of fighting only to wake and do it again the next day!" Tears started to form in her eyes, welling up like they had been waiting for this moment.

Giles looked at the young woman who had dealt with so much. If anything, he had much experience in helping them cope with what they have been given, to cope with the extraordinary burden they carried. He had suspected before that she and Buffy were more alike than they'd cared to admit. Now he knew it was a fact.

"I'm sorry, Giles," she said, wiping her eyes and sitting on the bed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have blown up like that."

"No, no, believe me I'm used to it. Carrying a burden such as yours is not a easy thing," he said as he sat down on the bed next to Sara. "Buffy reacted the same way many times before, especially when she found out she was supposed to die at the hands of a master vampire. A sixteen year-old girl finding out that she's prophesied to die is not exactly a ball of sunshine."

"Wow, that's pretty harsh," she said, sniffling.

"Yes, and so is dealing with this," he replied, lifting up her arm. "For years Buffy carried the burden of Slayer alone, until now. However, she has always had the support of her friends to see her through, something most Slayers didn't even have. Before I met her I would have told you that someone like yourself was destined to walk alone because that was the way it was done. But now I see that the only way for someone to survive is with the help of those close to them, to help them pull through. Unfortunately, you don't have anyone looking out for you, to be there when you need them the most. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Maybe Bladewielders should come with Watchers attached."

"Oh, you probably would have killed us on general principle. I was the only one Buffy ever cared for."

"I can see why. She had a good teacher."

"Sometimes I doubt that, especially lately."

"Don't. She's lucky. If I had someone like you I'd probably be better off, or least be able to cope. You shouldn't doubt yourself."

"Thank you," he said. Smiling at Sara, Giles saw past the detective with the bulletproof skin and directly into the woman on the inside, a woman who kept herself at a distance from others, who walked alone because she felt she had to. She was a woman who had seen too much and had been disillusioned by it all, but still had a spark of hope left in her. For the first time since their encounter, he thought he began to see the Sara Pezzini that few ever saw.

Breaking out of his thoughts, he immediately noticed they were staring at each other and stood up, saying, "Well, I'll, uh, see you in the morning, Sara. No doubt I'd better get to sleep soon if I expect to make it off of that rough couch."

"Actually, _I'll_ be the one up tonight. I just remembered I've got to have that report in on my captain's desk. Could you hand the papers to me? They're on the table." Sara said as he turned to leave.

"Of course."

Coming back from the table he handed the papers to her. Smiling, he merely said, "Well, good night, Sara."

"Good night, Giles."

Closing the door he just smiled, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he helped fan that spark of hope left in her. Turning around, he saw Willow standing there.

"Tucking her in, Giles?"

"I... I was just... I... she..."

"I'm just kidding. You think hanging around us for so long would help you grow a funny bone."

"Good night, Willow," he said, annoyed.

"Good night, Giles," she replied playfully as she entered the bathroom and closed the door.

"Got any suggestions for tomorrow?" Buffy said from the darkness, startling Giles.

"Buffy! Uh, well... quite honestly... I have no idea what to do next. Amy is no doubt more powerful than we ever imagined and she seems to be in league with organized crime, for some odd reason. I must admit I'm at a bit of a loss." He looked at her curiously. "What are you thinking?"

Looking back at him with determination in her eyes and wet hair partially obscuring her face, Buffy said, "I think I'll make a visit out to that Vitelli residence and see an old friend."

"Do you really think that's wise?"

"No, but it'll make me happier. Amy just ran rings around us, Giles, and she thinks she's going to get away with it. Once we find more Slayers we'll make sure she gets the point."

"Which reminds me, I need to call Faith and tell her not to come. Best get to it before she comes finding you alive and well. Good night, Buffy."

"Sleep tight, Giles. Oh, and uh, don't forget to kiss Sara goodnight."

"Very funny."


	16. Chapter XVI

**Sorry guys, I reposted because I am really anal about spelling and grammar errors and I found some. I just couldn't let them go.**

**Majin Gojira: **One: sorry I didn't respond in the last posting. Two: I wanted to make sure that Willow wasn't going to be Supergirl. I wanted to make sure she still had to put in some effort for some things. I tried to make things as "realistic" as possible. Buffy didn't walk up in NYC and start owning the place, because that never would have happened. Sara DID push around Buffy a little, but only because she got a couple bruises from her fight with her and wanted to get her back a little._**

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**_6:45 am, Friday – Slayer Base HQ_**

The alarm had gone on for about five minutes. The night had been, quite possibly, the most peaceful sleep Sara had been allowed in a long, long time. Which wasn't saying much. Still, it was better than what she got on a usual basis and that was good enough for her. She woke up to take another shower, to prepare for another day at work, and hear Dante chew her out for last night's debacle.

The others were still fast asleep as she exited the shower and put on her clothes that Willow had brought up. Sure, she was going to be wearing the same thing she wore yesterday, but at least they were clean. Dryer-fresh and blood-free. Throwing on her jacket and putting her hair in a ponytail, she grabbed her report papers, helmet, and keys and started to leave.

"Uh...oh... Sara," Giles said groggily. "Leaving for work?"

"Yeah, got to get this report in. I'll try and stop by tonight and see what's new," she said as she started to exit.

"Actually, something is already 'new'. Buffy is planning on stopping by Mr. Vitelli's residence to see Amy."

"What? Why? Forget it, I know why. Just convince her not to."

"We both know _that _isn't going to happen, Sara."

"Yeah, I know. Just... tell her to wait for me, alright? Last thing we need is a harassment suit."

"Will do."

"See you, Giles."

**_  
7:28 am, Friday – 11th Precinct_**

Sara had arrived just in time to hear yelling coming from Dante's office.

"I want to hear something better than, 'They just disappeared'! A crack S.W.A.T. team and all we got is, 'They just disappeared'! What do you guys get paid for, huh?! Where's Pezzini? Get her in here. She got in there first. Get her in here, now!"

"Captain, I'm right here," she said entering his office.

"'Bout time, Pezzini. Where's your report? What happened last night in that auditorium? And why do you look like you've been in a street fight?"

"It's right here, I entered into the auditorium, and I did some kickboxing to work off some tension. That good enough?"

"Don't be a smart-ass, Pezzini. What happened in the auditorium?" Dante asked.

"I went in and saw multiple aggressors assaulting the convention-goers. I pulled my piece, but was attacked and by the time I was able to retrieve it, they were leaving. Danny and Jake came in about minute and a half later."

"S.W.A.T. team says they didn't see _anybody_, not even a shadow. And now I've got the commissioner on me to give some sort of explanation."

"Captain, we don't know what happened," Danny said. "We followed procedure and next thing we knew, the speaker was dead and the attackers were long gone."

Sara knew what had happened; she lived it in the following hours. But what was she going to say to tell her boss: the truth? _Oh, by the way Captain, a super-witch killed these women to make a copy of an evil gauntlet that I currently wear in case things get out of hand. Yeah, smooth_. Still, if she didn't give him something, they would all possibly end up in hot water. Actually, the water was already hot; she just didn't want it boiling.

"Tell me we have _some_ leads on this guy," Dante said.

"Actually," Sara replied, "a source led me to a suspect. Amy Madison-Vitelli."

"As in Genovese Vitelli's widow?" Jake asked.

"What makes you suspect her?" Danny asked.

"Some sources said that Amy had a history with the occult and was fairly unstable. They also said her mother exhibited the same traits and probably had an influence on her."

"So some young girl either kills or orchestrates killing five people? And how would they know?" Dante asked skeptically.

"They... had run-ins with her in the past."

"I see," Dante said. "And would these 'sources' be willing to come to the station and give a statement?"

"Unfortunately, no. But I do know we should at least keep an eye on her," Sara replied.

"Well, Pezzini, we'll be keeping an eye on her anyway. They just fished Carlo Vitelli out of New York Harbor this morning. An eyewitness said that his car just flew off a pier. They're ruling out suicide, and some are speculating it may be the work of some rivals, maybe the Japanese or the Russians."

"Or maybe it was Amy," Sara offered.

"Right, and maybe she got Jimmy Hoffa, too," Dante quipped. "Nevertheless, Staten Island's going to question her and I need to put something on the commish's desk. If your source has some credibility, and it better Pezzini, we might produce something yet. Get back to work and find me something else to work with."

"And Pezzini," Dante yelled as the three detectives started to leave, "cut back on the kickboxing, got it?"

"Got it."

_**  
8:00 am, Friday – Slayer Base HQ**_

Buffy woke up to the smell of fresh coffee. She knew it was Giles making it by the coffee's aroma; it was a special-blend import he had gotten from a shop in L.A. Willow preferred some of the more generic stuff, simple and effective. She strolled into the kitchen and greeted Giles.

"Morning, Giles," she said.

"Good morning, Buffy. I made some fresh coffee for you two."

"Yeah, I smelled it. Coffee is of the good."

"Are you still planning on going to confront Amy?

"Giles, we went over this. She needs to know we won't be cowed into a corner."

"Well... since you're planning on doing this despite my objections, Sara wanted me to tell you to wait for her."

"You told her?" she asked indignantly.

"Yes, I did. First, for backup, and second, to make sure there are no _legal_ complications by your actions."

"Fine, she can come along."

"Me too," Willow said from the doorway to her bedroom.

"You sure, Willow? It might be a little emotional," Buffy warned.

"And _you're _just going for tea and crackers?" she quipped.

"Good point. Well, I'm going to take a shower. Willow, be ready to move out in thirty minutes."

"Got it," Willow replied. As Buffy left to take her shower, Willow turned to Giles. "Did I really just agree to go confront Amy on _her _territory?"

"Yes, you did."

"Well, maybe I can convince Buffy to get some breakfast first. I'm starved."

_**  
9:15 am, Friday – Verrazano Narrows Bridge**_

Willow was nervous. She was about to walk into the lion's den smelling like an injured zebra from one of those nature shows. The bite they grabbed helped her stomach a bit, but as they approached the island she began to feel as if they were making a huge mistake.

"Buffy, maybe Giles was right. Maybe we shouldn't play this out."

"No, Willow. Amy started it, and I want to show her we plan on finishing it. Giles is already starting to gather info to find the New York Slayers, and Kennedy and some others should be arriving soon. Besides, I feel like seeing an 'old friend'."

"Alright, but if we die I'm telling Giles."

Sara was trailing them on her bike. She had handed in her report and left the precinct to question Amy. In reality, she was actually going to back up a Slayer and a witch against a serial killer, as well as make sure any case against her wouldn't be jeopardized. Before she left she had told them about Carlo Vitelli's demise. If Buffy had been in any way unsure about her next move at first, she wasn't now.

Twenty minutes later, they had arrived at Genovese Vitelli's home, rife with security, as well as a few reporters. They had no doubt gathered to the home because of Carlo Vitelli's death. Sara had told Willow and Buffy about it and that made Buffy more than convinced that confronting Amy was the right thing to do. Approaching the home, she got off of her bike as Buffy and Willow exited the cab.

"So, what do we do now?" Willow asked.

"We should go around the back," Buffy replied.

"You know reporters are going to be camped out there too," Sara said. "We don't need the publicity on what we're doing."

"Well maybe..."

"Excuse me, ladies," one of the guards said as he approached them.

"Yes?" Buffy said cautiously.

"Ms. Vitelli will see you now."

"What?"

"She's been expecting you," he replied. Turning around he started to lead them toward the gates. On the way past the reporters, Willow waved her hand, scrambling some of their equipment, to make sure their faces weren't recorded in case the police wanted to question them. Guided up the walkway, Willow was beginning to have second... no, third thoughts about this.

"Buffy, I think the element of surprise is pretty much lost," she said.

"Yeah, I know. Still, we're here. Turning back is going to look pretty stupid at this point."

Greeting them at the front door was Amy, looking sullen and worn. Of course, she was faking, and they all knew it.

"Buffy, Willow. What a pleasant surprise. Please, come in." Motioning to the guard she said, "That will be all, Sean."

"Yes, Ms. Vitelli," he replied before leaving their presence.

"Laying it on pretty thick, huh Amy?" Buffy asked.

"Well, my stepson was killed in an unfortunate incident. It could have been an accident, but some are saying disreputable parties may be involved," she replied playfully.

Walking them to a private office, she turned around, saying, "So what brings my old friends here?"

"We're just here to tell you that we're coming for you, Amy. Whatever you're planning won't work," Buffy said.

"Well, it has so far. Maybe you guys aren't as tough as you let on."

"Or maybe it was just beginner's luck?" Willow replied. "You know, Amy, you can play up the sullen widow or the bereaved stepmother. But me and Buffy know that you're nothing but a second-class witch, looking so hard for Mommy's approval. You couldn't even do your own dirty work."

"First, I did do some of it, just to get a feel for it. I dated a med student for a little while, taught me a little about rib-spreaders." Amy replied. Her tone then changed to one of anger. "Second, my mother only dreamed of power like this. She was too busy trying to relive her 'glory days' to go after it. I've surpassed her in every way, and now, I've even surpassed _you_."

"Touched a nerve, huh?" Willow retorted.

"I'll enjoy making all of you suffer, especially _you,_" she said, pointing at Willow.

"You wanted a war, Amy?" Buffy said. "Well, now you've got one. I'm going to bring this fight to your doorstep. You won't be able to eat, you won't be able to sleep, you won't be able to walk around this house without thinking about how we're going to take you down. Your games brought me to this city, and I'm going to make sure you and everyone who backs you pays for it. Let's go, guys."

"Oh, and one more thing..." Willow said. Turning quickly toward Amy she landed a solid right hook to her jaw. "That was for Kennedy."

As Amy stood there clutching her mouth and wiping the blood, she started to laugh. "Detective Pezzini, nothing to say about all this?"

"Looked like an accident to me. Seems you bumped into her when she turned to talk to you. Besides, you know where we both stand. Sooner or later, murderers like you always get theirs."

"What about murderers like Willow?" she offered.

"What?" Sara asked.

"They didn't tell you, huh? Must have slipped their minds. Our little Willow here killed two people in cold blood last year. Yep, did that right before she tried to end the world. Surely they would have mentioned that?"

Looking at Willow she saw her face tighten and her lips purse. Buffy spoke up and said, "She's just trying to divide us. Don't listen to her."

"Is it true?" Sara asked Willow.

She lowered her head in shame and silence, all of it deafening to the detective. Sara just stared at Willow and said, "Sooner or later, Amy... sooner or later." With that she left the office, leaving Buffy and Willow to catch up. Before Willow left, though, she glared at Amy, the same look she had when she confronted...

Remembering herself, she turned and left, catching up with both Sara and Buffy. Sara wasn't saying a word, just storming out of the front door and down the driveway. They easily got past the reporters without having their picture taken, as most of them were scrambling trying to figure out what happened to their equipment.

The cab had been waiting outside with the meter running. Sara hopped on her bike and sped down the street toward the ferry to Manhattan as Buffy and Willow rode in the cab. She stopped just short of the ferry, and Buffy had the cabbie stop the car alongside her. Sara had taken off her helmet and her face was almost unreadable. Still, Buffy knew what was coming and paid the cabbie his fare. After he drove off, Buffy began to talk.

"Sara, look..."

"It's true, isn't it?" Sara asked.

Willow looked sullen, and said in a soft voice, "Yes... it's true."

"I can't believe this. I absolutely cannot _believe_ this!"

"Sara, this isn't the issue. The issue is..." Buffy started.

"No, this is _exactly_ the issue! I've got a murdering witch over there, with criminal connections to boot, ready to 'make us suffer', and the only people I've got as my backup is _another_ murdering witch and her accomplice!"

"Hey, Buffy wasn't an accomplice! She tried to stop me!" Willow said.

"Does Giles know?" Sara asked, hoping he was in the dark about all of this.

"Yes. He was helping me cope after..."

"After you killed two people and tried to destroy the world?"

"But I'm better now, Sara."

"Look, Sara, we know this isn't easy, but..." Buffy started to say.

"And you! She kills people and you give her a free pass, the one person in the world who's supposed to protect the public from people like her!" Sara yelled.

"She's my friend and she needed help!" Buffy shot back.

"You said this wasn't going to be easy. Well, I'm making it easier. You, Willow, and Giles have twenty-four hours to leave town. I don't want to see you; I don't want to know you. I catch you here again, I'm arresting all of you, got it?"

Sara put on her helmet and started up her bike as Buffy protested over the noise. "Sara, wait!" Speeding away, all that was left was a cloud of dust, a Slayer yelling at the top of her lungs, and a witch feeling she had done more harm than good coming along.

Taking out her cell phone, Buffy dialed the one person she hoped would solve this conundrum.

"Giles, we have another problem."

_**  
12:03 pm, Friday – Quinn's Diner**_

Giles had been briefed on what had happened. He called Sara, hoping she'd be interested in talking about it. He wanted to convince her that they all were on the same side and that they needed to be united against a common enemy. After much prodding, she had finally agreed to meet with him, but only briefly.

He had been waiting for about thirty minutes, sipping his second cup of coffee. He was hoping Sara wouldn't back out. If she did, Amy would only take advantage of everything and the world's safety would be in jeopardy. Dreading those thoughts, he was relieved when he saw Sara's bike pull up. She walked off of the bike like a woman ready to confront an army.

Sara entered the diner and looked for Giles. When she spotted him, she walked over, determination set in her eyes and along her jaw. Sitting in the seat, she quickly remarked, "You've got ten minutes."

"Thank you for meeting me here, Sara. This means a great deal."

"I only did it because I think you at least deserved this. But don't think you're getting any more favors."

"Sara, Willow went through a traumatic ordeal last year. Things happened that pushed her over the edge."

"Yeah, and she murdered two people when she fell off of it."

"Do you know the circumstances of it, Sara?"

"Why does _that_ matter?"

"Willow's lover was killed, right in front of her, by a bullet meant for Buffy. Willow had been coming off of a magick addiction. She was delving into dangerous territory and her friends helped pull her back. But when Tara died, all of that came rushing back. She dove headfirst into acquiring the darkest powers she could find and hunted down the man who killed Tara."

"What about the other guy?" Sara asked.

"He was a magick dealer, a mystical version of a drug pusher, named Rack. She drained him of his power to recharge," Giles replied.

"So how did she stop?"

"After draining the powers imbued to me by a coven, she went to try and destroy the world. It was only after her best friend Xander confronted her that she was able to calm down and let all her grief and pain go. After that I helped her in England to recover."

"Well, that sounds like a nice story, Giles, but that still doesn't explain why you harbor her."

"She's a friend, Sara. One doesn't turn their back on friends. And she's not 'living it up' either. She feels it every day, every night. There are times when she's broken out in sweats in the middle of the night, haunted by what she did. And something like this is going to stay with her, forever. But she knows that, and still she's been at the forefront of this war against things that most people don't know exists. Besides, don't tell me that you've not done questionable things with the Witchblade."

Sara took that one hard, but took it in silence. She may not have killed two people in cold blood, but she _did_ do some things that would have shocked most, the whole turning-back-time issue being one of them. She remembered very little, but she knew for certain that she did it. Ever since then, she had one question that crept up every now and then: What right did she have to interfere with time itself?

"Look, we've all done things we've regretted, myself included," Giles continued. "But we have to move beyond them and focus on the task at hand. If Amy capitalizes on our weaknesses and mistrust, she could very well destroy us all." Sara sat in silence, thinking about what Giles was saying. Confusion and anger at what Willow had done had blinded her and clouded everything... which was exactly what Amy intended. Though Sara knew it deep down in her soul, it was the part of her that held people at arm's length that had taken over at the time, using Willow's past as an excuse not to trust. She had gone so long without anyone truly at her side that it was easier just to brush them off. But Giles had a point. If Amy won, they, and possibly the whole city, would lose.

Giles, seeing Sara contemplating her next choice of words, decided to speak again. "There is another reason I asked for this meeting."

"What's that?"

"We're planning on setting up a base here, to gather the new Slayers and deal with Amy. There are a lot of girls in this city who need guidance, who need to understand their power, but frankly, we're going to need some help," Giles said.

"Are you... are you offering me a job?" Sara asked incredulously.

"No, not a job _per se_, more of an opportunity really. We need allies in this fight. You are directly attached to this problem because it concerns the Witchblade and you know New York better than all of us. You have information and resources as a police officer that we're not privy to. I was hoping you'd be a part-time consultant, of sorts. You would be paid, of course."

"I see," she said, pondering the offer.

"And there's more," Giles continued. "In return, I will also guide _you_."

"Me?"

"Yes," Giles replied. "Buffy is an extraordinary woman. She is the Slayer that a Watcher dreams of... or has nightmares about, as in the case of her high school years. Still, she has become a teacher in her own right, capable of carrying on her leadership confidently."

"But few have any idea of what it is to carry the Witchblade. All people have are vague stories and legends and what little facts there are provide hardly enough to work with. You've said it yourself, that if you had someone like a Watcher, things might have been better for you. I'd be willing to help you understand your power, to understand the Witchblade, because I think you need it and because I hope you could count me as a friend. Besides, I've already trained one super-powered girl quite well; I think I'm capable of another."

"And if I refuse the 'consulting' position?" Sara asked. She wanted to know the catch. Everything had a catch.

"I'll still help you, if you want. I may not be as available, but I'll still aid you as best I can," Giles replied.

Sara sat there flabbergasted, but she didn't show it. There was no catch. Someone was willing to help her understand her power. Someone who didn't want to manipulate her or deceive her. Someone who wasn't out to make her some slave to their wishes. Someone who truly cared. It was almost too good to be true. Maybe it still was...

"You don't have to give an answer right away, Sara," Giles said. "Give it some time and..."

"I'm in," Sara interrupted.

"What?"

"I said I'm in."

"Are you sure? I mean, you haven't..." Giles started to say.

"Giles, I want this. If I have a chance to better understand this thing _and_ bring Amy down, I'd call that a win-win situation. So, I'm in."

"Good." Giles dialed his cell phone and said, "She's in."

Walking by the window of the café were Buffy and Willow. They entered in and approached Sara and Giles. Sara had felt them both in the vicinity when she arrived, but let it slide to hear Giles out first. "Good to hear it. I wasn't too happy about it at first, but Giles _is_ persuasive," Buffy said.

"Yeah, that he is," Sara agreed. Seeing Willow Sara decided to do something uncharacteristic of her: she started to apologize. "Willow, I, uh...that is... I..."

"You had every right to say those things," Willow said, interrupting her. "Sara, I've done things that haunt me when I sleep, that most people would cringe at. I did things that your whole career has been spent fighting against, and I'm going to have to live with that the rest of my life. I won't excuse it, or ask you to either, but I'm hoping you can forgive me for it. And maybe we can start over."

Sara's only response was a slight smile that formed on her lips. She began to think that maybe this _could_ work out, that she didn't have to carry her burdens alone, that she could have allies and friends to help her on her along the way. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Giles' voice.

"Well, we'd best get started. We have a lot of work ahead of us," he said.

"Do you always have to say that?" Willow asked.

"Well, it is true," Giles said defensively.

"Yeah, but can't you just lie to us once in a while?" Willow retorted.

"Alright. This will be terribly simple. Amy will fold like a deck of cards by tomorrow and we'll all be in England next week having tea and crumpets."

"Liar," Willow replied.

"Giles is right," Buffy said. "We do have a lot of ahead of us. You game, Sara?"

Sara smiled. Things were going to be challenging and arduous. Rough times were ahead for all of them. But also ahead of them was something Sara had never thought possible, something she never dreamed would come: hope. If they could hold on to it and nurture it, then maybe they could win.

"I'm game."

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**Thanks again for all those who read and thanks a bunch to all those who reviewed. And no, I don't plan on leaving this story hanging like this. I intended this as the first part of a trilogy. I even have some of it fleshed out in my head. Until next time cats and kittens.**


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